Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has downplayed the absence of the traditional post-match handshake with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after his team’s 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
Emery explained that his routine is to shake hands and quickly head to the dressing room with his coaches and players. He claimed he was waiting for Arteta, but the Arsenal manager was busy celebrating with his team, so Emery decided to leave.
“I was waiting, and waiting. Of course, he was happy, and he was with his coaches, and I decided to go inside. But for me, it’s not a problem,” Emery told reporters.
Arteta also played down the significance of the missed handshake, saying, “No, that’s OK. That’s part of the game, not an issue at all.”
The missed handshake comes after Arsenal’s dominant 4-1 win over Aston Villa, snapping Villa’s 11-game winning run. Villa now trails leaders Arsenal by six points and will host Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Emery, who spent 18 months as Arsenal’s manager before being sacked in 2019, maintained that his decision wasn’t personal. Arteta, on the other hand, seemed unbothered by the incident.
