Emi Martinez was caught up in a fiery-looking altercation with the Arsenal supporters after the former Gunners goalkeeper endured a night to forget at the Emirates
07:28, 31 Dec 2025Updated 07:39, 31 Dec 2025
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Viktor Gyoekeres of Arsenal clashes with Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa.
Emiliano Martinez had to be held back as he was embroiled in a tunnel bust-up following Arsenal's 4-1 win against Aston Villa at the Emirates.
It proved to be a disappointing night for Martinez on his sixth return to Arsenal, having spent a decade there before leaving to sign for Villa in September 2020. The Argentina international conceded four times in 30 second-half minutes as the Gunners swept aside Villa to lay down a marker in this season's Premier League title race.
Gabriel Magalhaes opened the scoring in the 48th minute before Martin Zubimendi added a second shortly after. Leandro Trossard then made it three and Gabriel Jesus added gloss on the scoreline to score Arsenal's fourth. Ollie Watkins pulled one back for Unai Emery's Villa in stoppage-time but it proved too little too late.
As Arsenal ran rampant throughout the second period, Martinez cut a frustrated figure. His mood wouldn't have been helped, for sure, when "you're just a s*** David Raya" was sung in his direction by the Arsenal fans.
While Martinez appeared to keep his cool on the pitch, he let his emotions take over when he strolled down the tunnel following a confrontation with the home supporters. "You're rattled! F*** off, f*** off, f*** off! He's so rattled. Wakey wakey!' an Arsenal fan could be heard barking at Martinez.
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A visibly angered Martinez was spotted turning around and giving it back to the Arsenal supporters and he had to be shepherded down the tunnel before the situation was able to escalate.
Martinez made 38 first-team appearances across 10 years at Arsenal, with 23 of those coming in his final full season in north London. With Bernd Leno out injured, the Argentine helped the Gunners win the FA Cup in August 2020, making some crucial saves in the 2-1 win against Chelsea in the final.
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However, Martinez was sold just weeks later as he wanted regular game time and Villa gave him that under Dean Smith's stewardship. The ex-Reading and Wolves loanee has since spent the last five-and-a-half years in the West Midlands, playing more than 200 matches across all competitions.
On the international stage, Martinez played a crucial role in Argentina's World Cup win in December 2022. Indeed, he won the competition's Golden Glove prize after keeping three clean sheets across the Qatar tournament and has since been named as FIFA's Best men's goalkeeper twice.