Arsenal turned a tense, scrappy contest into a second-half statement on Tuesday night, hammering Aston Villa 4-1 and bringing the visitors’ 11-match winning run to a shuddering halt. For 45 minutes, the Villa Park outfit held their own and the two sides cancelled each other out in a first half short on clear-cut chances. After the break, however, Mikel Arteta’s side flipped the script and produced a performance with all the hallmarks of champions.

The Match: A Second-Half Blitz

Gabriel drew first blood three minutes after the interval, and Martin Zubimendi doubled the lead just four minutes later. Leandro Trossard added a third with just over 20 minutes of regulation time left, before Gabriel Jesus scored within seconds of replacing Viktor Gyokeres to make it 4-0. Ollie Watkins bagged a consolation for the visitors, but by then the damage was well and truly done.

Stage	Key moment
48th minute	Gabriel draws first blood
52nd minute	Martin Zubimendi doubles the lead
69th minute	Leandro Trossard adds a third
Shortly after	Gabriel Jesus scores within seconds of replacing Viktor Gyokeres
Late	Ollie Watkins bags a consolation

The 4-1 scoreline had a rather routine-looking feel by the end, but the second-half display from the north Londoners was anything but ordinary. Arsenal were not just winning; they were rubbing salt in the wound. The Gunners moved the ball with purpose, pressed with intent and punished Villa’s mistakes with ruthless efficiency.

For Villa, the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. Their last loss in all competitions before Tuesday night had come on November 1, when Liverpool beat them 2-0 at Anfield. Emery, who managed Arsenal for 78 matches between July 2018 and November 2019, returned to his former stomping ground with real hope of picking up three points. It wasn’t to be.

The Handshake That Wasn’t

Arteta, widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football, was understandably delighted to have picked up a pivotal win in the race for the 2025/26 Premier League title. At the full-time whistle, he embraced his entourage before walking across the touchline toward the Villa dugout, seemingly to find Emery.

Arteta initially turned around to speak to the Villa chief, but a look of bewilderment was the response instead. Emery was nowhere to be seen. Although it isn’t written in a rule book that managers have to exchange a handshake after the match, it’s common courtesy within football that those in the respective dugouts – irrespective of whether they have won or lost – meet on the touchline afterward to congratulate one another.

But that wasn’t the case for Emery after losing to his former club. New footage of the non-handshake incident shows the former Paris Saint-Germain boss, following a handshake with fourth official Thomas Kirk, walking straight toward the tunnel as soon as the match was over. A potential explanation is that Emery wasn’t willing to wait around and watch Arteta, who has been in charge of Arsenal for north of six years now, and his backroom staff celebrate their home victory.

Fan Reaction and Emery’s Explanation

Fans rushed to X (formerly Twitter) to question Emery’s decision to rush down the tunnel rather than exchange post-match pleasantries with Arsenal’s man in the dugout. One questioned: “Did Emery leg it without shaking Arteta’s hand???” Another wrote: “Emery ducking Arteta and going straight down the tunnel after he’s been taught a footballing lesson is a perfect encapsulation of him.”

When quizzed about why he didn’t shake hands with his compatriot Arteta, Emery said: “Yes, I was waiting for him, but he was with his coaches. Always, my routine is to go over to the first one, the opponent’s coach, shake his hand, and then go inside or with my coaches. But firstly, always I go over to the opponent’s coach. If he is not doing the same rule, I can’t wait, but nothing happened.”

The reporter then asked him to clear up whether he was upset with his Arsenal counterpart. Emery was animated in his response. “No, no, no, no, no! I am so happy, even losing today and, overall, I’m so happy with how we are doing,” he said before being asked, “So there’s no big issue?” Emery insisted there was none.

What It Means for the Title Race

In a nutshell, the handshake row is a storm in a teacup compared with the bigger picture. Arsenal’s statement win leaves them five points clear of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League. Villa, now six points off the table-topping Gunners, must pick themselves up quickly. Arsenal travel down to Bournemouth next, while Villa are set to play host to Nottingham Forest.

As the 2025/26 title race rolls into 2026, the Gunners look like a side with no intention of letting up. The Villans, meanwhile, will need to dust themselves off and get back to winning ways. The handshake incident will dominate headlines, but the scoreline is the real story. It was a night when Arsenal showed their title credentials and Emery showed his tunnel speed. 😄