Emiliano Martinez was caught in ugly full-time scenes at the Emirates Stadium last night, following tensions between himself and Arsenal supporters after receiving taunts from the crowd.
The Gunners achieved an emphatic victory over Aston Villa, winning 4-1, with goals coming from Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Martin Zubimendi, and the returning Gabriel Magalhães.
The win for Arsenal saw them end Aston Villa’s 11-game winning streak and move five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Emi Martinez held back by Aston Villa staff in confrontation with Arsenal fans
It was a tough night for Martinez, who had to pick the ball out of his own net four times. In the second half, he was outmuscled by Gabriel Magalhães at a corner and then beaten by brilliant strikes from the rest of the Arsenal attack, which were difficult to prevent.
The Argentinian faced boos and taunts throughout the match from his former club’s supporters, although it appears tensions bubbled over after the full-time whistle.
Footage shows the World Cup winner being subjected to insults and obscenities, with some fans shouting “you’re rattled,” while another supporter was heard saying, “you’re not dancing now, are you?”.
Martinez, clearly provoked, turned around in frustration and confronted the fans before being pulled away by Aston Villa staff attempting to prevent the situation from escalating.
Martinez has a complex past with Arsenal
Emi Martinez spent 10 years at Arsenal, playing a key role in delivering Mikel Arteta his first major pieces of silverware in the club’s 2020 FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs. However, the return of the already established number one goalkeeper Bernd Leno left Martinez with reduced game time.
As a result, Martinez was transferred to Aston Villa for a fee worth £20 million. Since then, the relationship between the player and Arsenal fans has certainly soured.
In a previous interview with Sky Sports, Martinez said: “I just felt they didn’t trust me when they should have. When I was on a high, I still felt they didn’t deserve me because of the way they were treating me”.
He also added: “If you stay in your comfort zone you will never reach anything in life. I decided to take the step up”. This comment was not well received by Arsenal fans and symbolised the beginning of the deteriorating relationship between Martinez and the club’s supporters.
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Since his departure, Martinez has gained little sympathy from Arsenal fans, who have instead championed the names of Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya whenever the Argentinian has returned to the Emirates. Last night was simply the culmination of these growing tensions and broken bridges.