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Football Insider

Unai Emery's Explanation for Swift Exit After Aston Villa Defeat

Unai Emery has clarified why he swiftly exited without shaking Mikel Arteta's hand after Aston Villa's 4-1 loss to Arsenal. Read on to discover the details behind this post-match incident.

Unai Emery's Explanation for Swift Exit After Aston Villa Defeat

Unai Emery has explained why he did not shake Mikel Arteta's hand following Aston Villa's 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal on Tuesday night. Villa made the trip to the Emirates on an 11-game winning run following their 2-1 victory at Chelsea on Saturday evening as the Villans sought to go level with the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table, but ended up being blown away by the hosts.Both sides went in at the break level on Tuesday night as Arsenal dominated but were unable to find the breakthrough. However, Arsenal broke the Villans' resolve shortly after the restart as the returning Gabriel Magalhaes poked home Bukayo Saka's corner after Emiliano Martinez had fumbled the winger's high ball into the box.Martin Zubimendi then doubled the Gunners' advantage as the north London side struck twice in the space of four second-half minutes. And the Gunners were three goals to the good with a little over 20 minutes to play through Leandro Trossard before Gabriel Jesus bagged his first league goal in almost a year as he came off the bench to net Arsenal's fourth.Ollie Watkins added a late consolation for Villa, whose winning run abruptly ended in a resounding 4-1 loss at the Emirates. At the full-time whistle, Emery was seen rushing down the tunnel without shaking Arteta's hand, as is customary between managers at the end of matches.Emery, though, has rejected claims that he snubbed Arteta after the full time whistle at the Emirates, explaining that his "routine is quick" as he rushed down the tunnel towards the away dressing room. When asked about the incident, the Villa boss explained: "Yes, but it's simple. You can watch. After [finishing] the match, always my routine is quick, shake hands and go with my coaches, with my players, or go to the dressing room."And I was waiting, I was waiting. Of course, he was happy and he was with his coaches and I decided to go inside. But for me, no problem."Arteta was seen waiting by the touchline waiting for a handshake from Emery, but holds no ill feeling towards the Villa boss, as he stated after the game: "No, that's OK. That's part of the game, not an issue at all."Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!Villa had a couple of opportunities to go ahead in the first half but failed to convert their chances and were ultimately made to pay. When asked about what happened in the second half, Emery replied: "Football. We competed fantastically in the first half and we were getting our momentum, creating chances, corners. We were defending very well when we needed it. We didn't concede a corner in the first half."One or two chances they had, but we were against a [better] team in the league and how they're performing here and how they are with the supporters and with the crowd. Later we were feeling comfortable and in the second half we conceded the first goal."We conceded the second goal, maybe as well it didn't help us that [Amadou] Onana got injured because he's important for us in pieces and in the middle."And then we didn't give up and we continued trying to compete like we are doing. We conceded another two goals and then even for me we were not giving up and we scored one goal and we had another chance and we finished the match."Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingVilla are next in action on Saturday when they welcome Nottingham Forest to Villa Park in a bid to quickly return to winning ways. Forest themselves fell to a 2-0 loss to Everton in midweek and have now lost their last three league matches.Arsenal, meanwhile, are now five points clear of second-placed Manchester City following their resounding win over Villa. City do have a game in hand over the Gunners, however, and travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland on New Year's Day in a bid to close that gap to two points.

1

Unpacking the Match

Aston Villa's 11-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal put on a dominant display. Despite a goalless first half, the Gunners found their rhythm after the break, ultimately securing a convincing 4-1 victory.

2

Emery's Explanation

Emery dismissed suggestions of snubbing Arteta's handshake, explaining that his post-match routine typically involves a swift exit to join his team. Arteta, understanding the situation, harbored no ill feelings towards Emery for the perceived snub.

3

Match Analysis

Emery reflected on the game, highlighting Villa's missed opportunities in the first half and Arsenal's clinical second-half performance. Despite the setback, Villa remains focused on bouncing back in their upcoming fixture against Nottingham Forest.

4

League Standing

Following the win, Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League, sitting five points ahead of Manchester City. With City having a game in hand, the title race remains tight as both teams strive for success in the upcoming matches.

Published on Dec 31, 2025