Martin Keown claims that "desperate" ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery is the reason why the Gunners didn't win the Premier League title.
Emery, who was sacked by Arsenal in 2019, got the better of successor Mikel Arteta twice this season; masterminding a 1-0 win in December before picking up an excellent 2-0 victory away from home in April. Villa's double allowed reigning champions Manchester City to catch up with Arsenal, who eventually finished second by a mere two points.
Gunners legend Keown, who also played for Villa, believes that those two games ultimately made the difference, as Emery did everything in his power to prevent Arteta and his players from lifting the trophy. "I think the reason Arsenal didn't win the league was because of Unai Emery - he takes six points off of Arsenal," the former England defender declared on talkSPORT.
"I'm going to say this because I genuinely feel this that he's like the swan on the surface, very calm, plays against his old team respectively but below the surface he's desperate, those little feet are going like crazy to beat Arsenal and he's managed it, he stopped Arsenal winning the league.
"It's ironic, I played for both great clubs, and Villa have just been amazing. They started the season by conceding five goals [away to Newcastle] and they finished it by conceding five goals [at Crystal Palace] and in between they've ended up top four, but they've had a massive say in who won the Premier League this year."
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Emery, 52, was keen to avoid the conversation being about him before each victory, although the Spaniard let off some steam in his celebrations during April's win. Emery's touchline outburst spoke volumes, with Premier League icon Alan Shearer saying on Match of the Day: "I absolutely love this [Emery celebrating].
Your turn! Who'll finish higher next season - Arsenal or Aston Villa? Join the debate in the comments section
Unai Emery loved beating Arsenal twice this season"Forget about not celebrating against a former club nonsense. It was a tactical masterclass. He's done the double over his old club. What a job he is doing, what a season."
Villa ended up securing fourth place and a return to the Champions League with one game to spare, as City's 2-0 victory over Tottenham last Tuesday - coincidentally the same game which saw Arsenal knocked off the top - confirmed their top-four finish.
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