Arsenal legend, Martin Keown, has claimed Aston Villa manager Unai Emery cost his former team the Premier League title this season.
Emery claims Emery was ‘desperate’ to beat his former club.
The Gunners narrowly missed out on securing their first Premier League trophy since 2004 on the final day of the season on Sunday as Manchester City ran out 3-1 winners over West Ham to finish two points clear at the top of the table.
Mikel Arteta’s side ran City close but Pep Guardiola has revealed that his players were given hope after Arsenal were beaten 2-0 at home by Villa in April.
And Keown believes defeats to Villa both home and away this season are responsible for Arsenal’s failure to win the league.
‘They [City] have that luxury, Arsenal are a developing club,’ Keown said on talkSPORT on Monday.
‘You go into a fight with Man City, if Arsenal manage a draw and they don’t lose to Villa they can be champions. So they went there to pick up those necessary points up because they know if they get beat it just wipes Arsenal out and City do it again.
‘I think the reason Arsenal didn’t win the league was because of Unai Emery – he takes six points off of Arsenal.
‘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.
