'I Was Waiting': Aston Villa Boss Denies Avoiding Mikel Arteta After Arsenal Triumph At Emirates

Arsenal moved six points clear of Manchester City after their 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on December 30, 2025. With the recent victory, the Gunners enter 2026 as the Premier League leaders, hoping to capitalize on their advantage this season and win the title after nearly two decades.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa could have leveled on points with Arsenal with a victory, with the game goalless at the break. However, the Gunners sprang into action after half-time, with the returning Gabriel Magalhaes breaking the deadlock three minutes into the second half with a set-piece goal.

This was followed by goals from Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus, and a compensation goal from Villa player Ollie Watkins at injury time. While the match was nothing short of a thriller, what caught the attention of the media was Aston Villa manager Unai Emery returning to the dugout at full-time whistle without shaking hands with Arteta, as is customary between managers at full-time.

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Unai Emery Denies Snubbing Arteta After Full-Time

After the final whistle, the Gunners' Boss was seen hugging his staff members and could be seen immediately walking across the touchline towards the Villa dugout, looking for Emery. However, the manager was nowhere to be found as he had already gone inside without waiting for Arteta.

When asked about it, Unai Emery, who had 18 months in charge at the Emirates following Arsene Wenger’s departure, shared that he had been waiting for Arteta, but the manager never came.

Emery explained, "After finishing the match, my routine is always quick, shake hands… I was waiting. Of course [Arteta] was happy. But he was with the coaches, and I can’t wait for him. I was there, but no problem. I went to my dressing room."

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Mikel Arteta On Emery's Alleged Snub

In the post-match interview, the Gunners' boss shared that it was not a problem that the former Arsenal manager went back into the dugout without meeting him. He shared, "It’s not an issue. Sometimes we are in this sort of moment, so it’s not an issue for me."

Notably, Villa was on a run of 11 straight victories before their Arsenal defeat. They remain third in the Premier League table, with Manchester City hoping to keep pace with Arsenal when they meet Sunderland on Thursday night.