Emiliano Martinez was involved in an altercation in the tunnel and had to be restrained after Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Aston Villa at the Emirates. It was a frustrating night for Martinez, who made his sixth return to Arsenal, where he spent 10 years before departing to join Villa in September 2020.
The Argentina international scored four goals in the second half 30 minutes as the Gunners defeated Villa in this season’s Premier League title race. Gabriel Magalhães broke the deadlock in the 48th minute, and Martin Zvimendi doubled his lead moments later. Leandro Trossard then scored the third goal and Gabriel Jesus added the spark to Arsenal’s fourth goal.
Olly Watkins scored a consolation goal for Unai Emery’s Villa in stoppage time, but it was just a consolation.
As Arsenal dominated throughout the second half, Martinez looked increasingly unsteady. His frustration was probably not soothed by the chants of “you’re just like David Raya” from Arsenal supporters.
Martinez appeared calm on the pitch, but emotions got the better of him as he made his way down the tunnel after interacting with the home fans. “He’s rattled! Shit, shit, shit! He’s so rattled. Wakey, wakey!” an Arsenal supporter could be heard shouting at Martinez.
A clearly enraged Martinez was seen turning around and retaliating at the Arsenal fan, and had to be taken to the tunnel before the situation escalated.
Martinez made 38 first-team appearances during his 10 years at Arsenal, 23 of which came in his final full season in north London. The Argentine helped the Gunners win the FA Cup in August 2020 when Bernd Leno was injured, making some important saves in the 2-1 win over Chelsea in the final.
However, Martinez was sold after just a few weeks in search of regular appearances, with Villa offering him minutes under manager Dean Smith. The former Reading and Wolves loanee has since spent the past five-and-a-half years in the West Midlands, making over 200 appearances in all competitions.
Internationally, Martinez played a pivotal role in Argentina’s World Cup victory in December 2022. He won the tournament’s Golden Glove award after keeping three clean sheets throughout the Qatar tournament, and has since been named FIFA’s Best Male Goalkeeper twice.
Villa and Martinez’s next match is at home to struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Arsenal travel to Bournemouth looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are five points behind second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand.
