Unai Emery was left ‘animated’ in today’s Premier League clash between Arsenal and Aston Villa after what happened to one of the Spaniard’s players.
The Villa Park side came away with a shock win earlier today in north London as two late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins secured a 2-0 win for Villa, inflicting Arsenal’s first Premier League loss of 2024.
With Liverpool losing earlier in the day, Arsenal threw away a golden chance to gain some serious ground in the Premier League title race, with Manchester City doing what they do best and winning on Saturday at home to Luton Town.
Yet Villa manager Unai Emery was left annoyed by one Arsenal player in the opening half earlier today.
Emery left ‘animated’ after Ben White tackle on Nicolo Zaniolo
And as per the Express and Star’s Matt Maher, Emery was left ‘animated’ on the touchline after Ben White went in hard on Nicolo Zaniolo, leaving the Italian international injured on the floor as Arsenal continued to play on.
Whilst Zaniolo was able to play on after some treatment, the tackle was enough to wake up Villa and to get Emery riled up, with White also walking on a knife edge for most of the game after picking up a yellow card.
READ MORE: How much Arsenal paid to sign every first-team player in the transfer market
Indeed, White’s antics have got the England international into hot water in recent months with rival fans, a factor not helped by the 26-year-old defender’s attitude towards playing for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions heading into Euro 2024.
With Arsenal losing their unbeaten run in the Premier League, White’s tackle could be viewed as a catalyst for Villa’s shock win in north London, with the away support getting up for the occasion along with the players.
Arsenal can give the perfect response on Wednesday after Aston Villa loss
Villa was always going to be a tough fixture for Arsenal today, with Emery’s side already beating the Gunners earlier this season as the Villa Park side completed the double over the north London side.
Yet what Arsenal do from today onwards will be what defines their season, with a big game against Bayern Munich now on the cards in the UEFA Champions League.
The Premier League title race is far from over, yet with City now on top, it’s easy to feel see why Arsenal fans now might think the dream is over, yet that can all change easily on Wednesday with a win against Bayern.