Revealed: What Emi Martinez shouted at Jack Grealish that began heated altercation in Aston Villa tunnel throughout win over Man City
- Jack Grealish and Emi Martinez could be seen arguing at the end of the first half
- The Aston Villa goalkeeper could be seen shouting at Grealish down the tunnel
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Fresh details have emerged over what was said during a fiery exchange between Emiliano Martinez and Jack Grealish in Aston Villa‘s 2-1 win over Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
Villa mounted more misery on City, who are in the midst of their worst run of form under Pep Guardiola, by inflicting a ninth defeat in 12 matches on the champions.
Guardiola handed Grealish a first start at Villa Park since he left his boyhood club in 2021 for £100million, in a bid to shake things up.
However, the winger endured a nightmare return to his former home with Villa opening the scoring after just 16 minutes through striker Jhon Duran.
As the game approached the interval, Grealish could be seen appearing to protest the lack of stoppage time in the first half.
The ex-Villa star could then be seen engaged in a heated discussion with his former team-mate Martinez as they made their way down the tunnel following the half-time whistle at Villa Park.
Jack Grealish (left) was involved in a fiery exchange with Emiliano Martinez (right) during Man City’s clash with Aston Villa
Martinez shout at his former team-mate ‘You think you’re a big boy now, huh?’ as they went down the tunnel
In a video that appeared on X, footage of the pair exchanging a barrage of words, while being seperated by staff and team-mates, has now come to light.
Shouting toward Grealish, Martinez appears to say: ‘You think you’re a big boy, huh?’
The Argentine goalkeeper was subsequently booked by referee Peter Bankes for his involvement in the incident.
The altercation proved to be the tip of the iceberg in what was a tough afternoon back in his home city for Grealish.
A chorus of boos rang out every time he had a touch and at full time the winger reacted by holding up three fingers to signify the Premier League titles since his departure from the club.
Grealish joined Villa at the age of six and, barring a 2013-14 loan at Notts County, spent 19 years at the club he supports, helping them to win promotion and reach the final of both domestic cups across 213 appearances before breaking the British transfer record.
Michael Owen has since come out in the defence of Grealish, telling the section of Villa followers who booed him to ‘hang your heads in shame’.
The former Liverpool striker said he felt ‘sick to the bottom of my stomach’ at the boos in an impassioned 711-word defence of the Englishman posted on X on Sunday. It is a fate he endured after leaving Liverpool during his own playing career.
The former team-mates heated exchange boiled over from the pitch to the tunnel following the half time whistle
The Argentinian goalkeeper was subsequently booked for his involvement in the incident
Grealish was booed, by fans who once cheered him, every time he touched the ball at Villa Park
The winger was keen to remind those who had booed him of his achievements with Man City
Michael Owen told the section of Villa followers responsible to ‘hang your heads in shame’
‘I often hear or see things in football that makes my blood boil,’ he wrote. ‘Most people will probably feel the same at some point or other. I guess that’s quite natural when you care passionately about something, or in my case, when it’s something that has consumed your entire life.
‘The current capitulation of reigning champions Manchester City is enough of a story to fill back pages and jam radio stations up and down the country. But there was another story at Villa Park yesterday that genuinely left me feeling sick to the bottom of my stomach.
‘Of course, tarring a set of people with the same brush is not something I’m into. I’ve lived a life whereby myself and my teammates have been stereotyped and it’s pretty annoying.
‘There will always be kind, honest, generous, respectful, caring people in all walks of life just as there will always be nasty, jealous, spiteful, bitter people too. Your job or where you’re from doesn’t necessarily make you fall into a certain category.
‘But to those Villa fans who booed Jack Grealish yesterday, you fall into the second category and should hang your heads in shame.’
‘Here is a lad that came through YOUR academy. Supported The Villa all his life and no doubt still does. He single-handedly dragged YOUR team back into the Premier League when you were bang average at best.
‘He kept you up and in hindsight, showed you ten times more loyalty than you are now showing him. He was hardly ever injured and delivered Man Of The Match performances on a regular basis. He cost you nothing, gave you incredible service and made YOUR club over £100m when he left.’
Owen continued his rant and went on to say that he felt inclined to defend Grealish because his ‘story is as near to perfect as it gets’.
Morgan Rogers finished off Man City in the second half by scoring Villa’s second of the day
Guardiola’s poor run of form has now stretched to nine losses in 12 matches in all competitions
Grealish has enjoyed heaps of success since moving up to Manchester and was part of the City’s historic Treble-winning squad in 2023, but has been struggling two seasons later.
The England international has failed to score in club colours in his last 45 matches and was unable to help his side turn around their lacklustre form on Saturday.
Villa went on to double their lead, after Grealish’s altercation with Martinez, through Man City academy graduate Morgan Rogers in the second-half.
Hopes of the latest of turnarounds were sparked by Phil Foden two minutes into added time, but Guardiola’s side could not find an equaliser.
