Unai Emery defended his choice not to shake hands with Mikel Arteta, stating that conditions were “cold” at the Emirates after his former team, Arsenal, triumphed 4-1.
Arsenal is currently five points ahead at the top of the Premier League after second-half goals from Gabriel, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus on Tuesday.
In injury time, Ollie Watkins managed to score a late consolation for Aston Villa.
While Villa was on an impressive 11-match winning streak, this defeat leaves them six points behind the championship leaders.
After the match, Arteta exchanged a brief embrace with his coaching staff before approaching Emery in the opposing dugout.
However, by that time, Emery had already made his way down the tunnel after shaking hands with fourth official Thomas Kirk.
Emery’s Villa are six points off the championship pace (Reuters)
In his post-match press conference, Emery explained, “It’s simple. After I finish the match, my routine is to shake hands and then go with my coaches and players to the dressing room. I was waiting. He was happy, of course he was happy. He was with his coaches. I decided to head inside. But for me, it’s no problem.”
Reinforcing his reasoning to Sky Sports, Emery said, “My routine has always been to approach the opposing coach, shake hands, and then go inside. If he doesn’t follow the same routine, I can’t wait … it was cold.”
Arteta, who took over as Arsenal’s manager from Emery, commented on the situation: “You saw it, but it’s OK, it’s all good. That’s part of the game and it’s not unusual at all.”
After narrowly defeating Wolves, Everton, and Brighton in their previous matches, Arsenal struggled in the first half against Villa, appearing to feel the pressure of a 22-year title drought.
However, they came alive in the second half with a display that will serve as a warning to Manchester City ahead of their match against Sunderland on Thursday.
Arteta expressed his happiness with the team’s performance, “We play every three days, and today we faced an opponent that had won 11 games in a row. They are an outstanding team, very challenging to play against, and we knew we’d have tough periods throughout the game. We struggled initially, but as the game progressed, we gained control.”
“In the second half, we clicked,” he continued. “We competed much better across the board, our timing improved, and our execution of individual goals was exceptional. Unlike in our previous matches, where we struggled with big opportunities, today we were much more prolific and accurate, which made a significant difference.”