Emiliano Martinez had to be restrained after becoming involved in a tunnel altercation following Arsenal's 4-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Emirates. It was a frustrating evening for Martinez on his sixth return to Arsenal, where he spent a decade before departing to join Villa in September 2020.
The Argentina international shipped four goals in 30 second-half minutes as the Gunners demolished Villa to send a statement in this season's Premier League title race. Gabriel Magalhaes broke the deadlock in the 48th minute before Martin Zubimendi doubled the advantage shortly afterwards. Leandro Trossard then netted a third and Gabriel Jesus put the icing on the cake with Arsenal's fourth.
Ollie Watkins grabbed a consolation for Unai Emery's Villa in stoppage time, but it was merely a consolation.
As Arsenal dominated throughout the second half, Martinez appeared increasingly agitated. His frustration wouldn't have been eased when "you're just a s*** David Raya" rang out from the Arsenal supporters in his direction.
Whilst Martinez seemed to maintain his composure on the pitch, his emotions got the better of him as he made his way down the tunnel following an exchange with the home fans. "You're rattled! F*** off, f*** off, f*** off! He's so rattled. Wakey wakey!" An Arsenal supporter could be heard shouting at Martinez.
An evidently irate Martinez was seen turning around and retaliating to the Arsenal fans, and he had to be escorted down the tunnel before the situation could escalate.
Martinez made 38 first-team appearances over a decade at Arsenal, with 23 of those in his final full season in North London. When Bernd Leno was injured, the Argentine aided the Gunners in their FA Cup victory in August 2020, making some key saves in the 2-1 triumph over Chelsea in the final.
However, Martinez was sold just weeks later as he sought regular playing time, which Villa provided under Dean Smith's management. The former 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.
Internationally, Martinez played a pivotal role in Argentina's World Cup victory in December 2022. He won the tournament's Golden Glove award after keeping three clean sheets throughout the Qatar competition and has since been named FIFA's Best Men's Goalkeeper twice.
Next for Villa and Martinez is a home match against struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
As for Arsenal, they travel to Bournemouth aiming to increase their lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are five points ahead of second-place Manchester City, who have a game in hand.