Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery tasted defeat for the first time in 12 total outings earlier this Tuesday, Dec. 30. Now, the former Arsenal boss has popped up as a talking point after not shaking Mikel Arteta’s hand in the aftermath of his side’s 4-1 loss to the Gunners.
Unai Emery Sheds Light on Reaction After Recent Loss to Arsenal
In a festive showdown, Aston Villa crashed to a thumping defeat at the hands of Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Ollie Watkins scored a late consolation goal after the goals of Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus.
After the full-time whistle, Emery was seen lingering near the touchline in hopes of shaking Arteta’s hand. But, he opted to head down the tunnel without a congratulatory handshake.
“It is simple, you can watch. Always my routine is quick. I shake hands and then go with my players and coaches into the dressing room. I was waiting. He (Arteta) was waiting and he was with his coaches. I decided to go inside. For me, it is no problem,” Emery said in a post-match interaction (via Football London).
Asked to opine about Emery’s decision to not exchange a handshake, Arteta replied, “You have seen it but it’s okay, it’s all good. That’s okay, it’s part of the game and it’s not an issue at all.”
By ending Emery’s 11-match winning run in all competitions, Arteta helped Arsenal remain at the top of the 2025-26 Premier League table. His side are currently on 45 points from 19 league matches, boasting a six-point lead over third-placed Aston Villa.
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During a recent press conference, Emery lauded Aston Villa players’ collective performance in the first half before labelling Arsenal as the best Premier League team right now.
“We competed fantastic in the first half and we had momentum. We had corners and defended well too. We didn’t concede a corner in the first half. We felt comfortable, but we conceded the first goal in the second half. (Amadou) Onana’s injury didn’t help us as he is important from set-pieces and in the middle,” Emery said (via Football London).
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Emery, who coached Arsenal from July 2018 to November 2019, added, “We didn’t give up and we competed like we were doing. We were not giving up and we scored one goal and had other chances. Arsenal are the best team in the league and they are the favourite to win the title. But I am happy (that) we have our (own) ambitious demands.”
Aston Villa have won 17 of their last 20 matches across all competitions, losing just thrice.
