Emi Martinez causes a wild scene outside Emirates after Arsenal vs Chelsea as videos come out
Fans outside the Emirates were caught off guard on Sunday evening when Emi Martinez showed up unexpectedly after Arsenal’s Premier League game against Chelsea.
Martinez, who spent ten years at Arsenal before moving to Aston Villa in 2020, recently signed with Chelsea for £7.5 million at the end of last month. The 34-year-old started for Chelsea under manager Xabi Alonso in the match against his old team. However, his performance wasn’t the best. He could have done better on Kai Havertz’s equalizer when the ball went in at the near post.
Commentator Gary Neville said, “I think Emi Martinez should have saved that. Chelsea brought him in as a big personality goalkeeper, the strong Argentine. But he was slow to react and will be disappointed, especially considering how well he’s played before.”
Jamie Carragher also mentioned Martinez doesn’t seem as sharp as he used to be. Still, Martinez made eight saves during the game – the most from a Chelsea goalkeeper at the Emirates since Thibaut Courtois in 2018.
After the final whistle, Martinez was seen walking among hundreds of Arsenal fans as if he was heading home, which caused quite a stir outside the stadium. In the video below, you can hear fans chanting, “Emi, what’s the score?” along with some boos and other unfriendly comments.
Many fans were surprised by Martinez’s choice to walk home. One said, “This is crazy, honestly.” Another added, “Not sure that’s the safest way to go home,” and a third wrote, “He won a cup with us, he deserves some respect. If we wanted him to stay, he would have.” A fourth fan said, “Poor Emi, he looks scared,” while a fifth commented, “It feels like he’s just putting on a show. Why would he walk out like that instead of taking the team bus?”
After being substituted in the 87th minute for Danny Welbeck, Morgan Rogers had to cross the pitch to get to the bench. This meant walking past thousands of unhappy Arsenal fans. As he walked along the sideline, the former Aston Villa player heard the chant, “You should have signed for a big club.”
Arsenal had been linked with a big-money move for Rogers this summer, but after weeks of talk, the 24-year-old joined Chelsea in a British record deal worth £117 million.