Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery didn't shake hands after Arsenal beat Aston Villa but neither manager had an issue with their failure to embrace after the final whistle
Mikel Arteta celebrated with his coaches at full-time - missing Unai Emery's handshake as a result
Mikel Arteta celebrated with his coaches at full-time - missing Unai Emery's handshake as a result
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Mikel Arteta insists Unai Emery's decision to walk down the tunnel rather than shake his hand was "not an issue" after Arsenal hammered Aston Villa at the Emirates.
Villa headed to north London as the form team in the Premier League and a win would've seen them go level on points with the Gunners. Instead they were cut apart with the hosts scoring four times in the second-half, with Ollie Watkins grabbing a consolation in stoppage time.
Emery was relatively swift to head down the tunnel but Arteta, who replaced his compatriot at the Emirates back in 2019, was not bothered by the series of events. He said: "It's not an issue. Sometimes we are in this sort of moment, so it's not an issue for me."
Emery had claimed after the match that he was looking for Arteta once the full-time whistle went, but he was celebrating with his coaches and he had little desire to wait around, but equally had no issue with the Arsenal manager.
The Villa boss said: "I was waiting for him but he was with his coaches. My routine is to always go for first to the opponent coach, shake hands and then go inside or go to my coaches. If he's not doing the same rule, I can't wait. I don't know what happened. There's no issue for me, but I can't wait. Maybe it's because it was cold? I'm still happy, even losing today, so congratulations to Arsenal."
Arsenal were able to, temporarily at least, extend their lead over Manchester City, who are their closest challengers. The teams look set to battle it out for the title once again following season-long duels in 2022/23 and 2023/24 - Pep Guardiola's side winning out on both occasions.
Neither manager appeared concerned with their lack of interaction at full-time
Neither manager appeared concerned with their lack of interaction at full-time
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Arsenal and Arteta have been tipped to finally get over the line. Doing so would end a league drought that dates back to 2004 and a trophy drought that is about to go into a sixth year. The Gunners boss believes they have set themselves up perfectly to enjoy a triumphant 2026.
He said: "Well, it has been a great 2025 on a personal and professional level. The way these guys, the club and the staff make me enjoy my work every single day is brilliant. In 2026, we know what we want. We will have to work really hard for it every single day, but I think we are on the right tracks for it."
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