Why I Didn’t Shake Arteta’s Hands – Emery

Aston Villa coach Unai Emery has opened up on his decision not to shake hands with Mikel Arteta following the 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday.

Second-half goals from Gabriel, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus handed the Gunners the maximum points to boost their Premier League title hopes.

The defeat ended Aston Villa’s club record-equalling 11-match winning streak.

After the final whistle, Arteta, who succeeded Emery in the Emirates dugout embraced his coaching staff before going to the opposing dugout to greet Emery, but he had made his way to the tunnel.

The former PSG coach played down the incident, citing the cold for his decision to quickly go into the dressing room.

Emery said: ““It is simple. You can watch. After I finish the match, my routine is always quick, I shake hands, and I go with my coaches, with my players to the dressing room.

“I was waiting, I was waiting. He (Arteta) was happy, of course, he was happy. He was with his coaches. And I decided to go inside. But for me it is no problem.”

“Always my routine is go to the opposition coach, shake hands and go inside. If he is not doing the same rule, I can’t wait… it was cold.”

Arteta also played down the incident, saying it is part of the game.

He said: “You saw it, but it’s OK, it’s all good. That is part of the game, and it’s not unusual at all.

“I’m so happy. They (Villa) are a superb team, very difficult to play against, and we knew that we were going to have periods throughout the game.

“We talked about emotionally how demanding it was going to be and we struggled in the first 10 minutes. Then we adjusted, got a bit more control. We didn’t manage to score and then in the second half we clicked.”

Arteta believes the victory over Aston Villa has further boosted the team’s belief to end their Premier League title drought.

He concluded: “It’s belief, and it’s energy as well because they put in so much.

“We’re playing every two and a half days, the schedule is very, very demanding, we have some very tough matches and injuries but the players are still winning, so winning helps all that.

“All the sacrifices and commitment that you put in gets reflected in results and great performances and that’s so satisfying, but we know there’s still so much to play for.

“It’s a great way to end the year, that’s for sure. We’ll have a good night with our families (on New Year’s Eve), but then the next day we are in, and we have to go to Bournemouth (on Saturday), and we know what that means.”

The Gunners will hope to extend their lead when they take on Bournemouth on Saturday while Aston Villa welcome Nottingham Forest at the Villa Park in the same day.