'It was cold' - Aston Villa boss Unai Emery explains handshake decision after Arsenal defeat
Villa boss Unai Emery defended not shaking hands of Mikel Arteta following Tuesday's 4-1 defeat at Arsenal - claiming it was too “cold” to wait.
Emery departed down the tunnel without meeting his Spanish counterpart after watching his team's 11-match winning streak come to an abrupt halt at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta, his opposite number, turned to celebrate with his coaching staff at the final whistle.
Emery said: “It is simple. You can watch. At the finish of each match always my routine is quick.
"I shake hands and go with my coaches and my players to the dressing room.
"I was waiting and of course he was happy with his coaches. I decided to go inside. There is no problem."
Further explaining his decision to Sky Sports, Emery said: “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.”
Emery insisted he has no problem with Arteta and the latter brushed off the incident in his own post-match press conference, saying it was simply "part of the game".
“You saw it, but it’s OK, it’s all good,” he said. “That is part of the game and it’s not unusual at all.”
Villa are now six points behind Premier League leaders following their first defeat in nearly two months.
Gabriel Magalhaes put the Gunners in front early in the second half after a mistake by Emi Martinez, before Villa were blown away by further strikes from Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus.
Ollie Watkins netted a late consolation for the visitors, who will aim to bounce back when they host Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
