Spanish coach denies ignoring Mikel Arteta

Unai Emery refuted the allegations that he intentionally disregarded Mikel Arteta after Aston Villa lost to Arsenal.

Aston Villa’s 11-match winning streak was halted when the Birmingham side suffered a 4-1 defeat against league leaders Arsenal.

Second-half goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus helped the "Gunners" extend their lead at the top to five points. Ollie Watkins scored a late consolation in stoppage time, but by then the outcome was almost certain.

An incident drew attention immediately after the match ended, at the moment when Unai Emery was seen quickly heading straight to the tunnel without shaking hands with Mikel Arteta, which is usually customary between managers after a game.

When asked about the action perceived as “ignoring,” Emery firmly explained: "That’s true, but it’s very simple. People can review it. After the match finishes, my habit is always to shake hands quickly and then leave with my assistants, players, or head to the dressing room.

I waited around. Of course, Arteta was celebrating with his coaching staff, so I decided to go inside. For me, there was no issue at all."

Meanwhile, Arteta was seen waiting for Emery on the sidelines after the match and stated that the handshake omission was not a problem.

“It’s fine. That’s part of football, absolutely nothing serious,” the Arsenal coach said during the press conference.

Previously, Emery also did not shake hands with Arteta after Aston Villa’s victory over Arsenal in December 2023.

The loss at Emirates left Aston Villa in third place on the table, six points behind leaders Arsenal. Despite the heavy defeat, Emery found positives in his team’s performance. Aston Villa played markedly better in the first half and could have gone into halftime with a lead.

When asked about what happened in the second half, the Spanish coach said: “That’s football. We performed very well in the first half, building momentum, creating many chances and corners. We defended solidly when needed and didn’t allow them any corners in the first half.

They had one or two opportunities, but we faced the strongest team in the league right now, their home form, and the crowd support. We felt quite comfortable, but conceded the first goal in the second half.

The second goal didn’t help, especially with Amadou Onana injured, as he is very important for us in set pieces and midfield...”

In their next match, Aston Villa will return to Villa Park to host Nottingham Forest this weekend.