Emi Martinez escorted by bodyguards through North London crowd after Arsenal defeat Chelsea

Emi Martinez required a bodyguard escort to leave the Emirates Stadium safely after Chelsea fell to a 2-1 Premier League defeat against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with footage of the incident spreading across social media.

Video showed the Argentina international being accompanied by two bodyguards as he made his way through a crowd of fans gathered outside the ground in North London. It marked a difficult return to his former club for the goalkeeper, who spent a decade with the Gunners before departing for Aston Villa in 2020.

On the pitch, Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea a shock lead inside the opening minute, but Arsenal hit back through Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard to secure all three points. Riccardo Calafiori also had a goal ruled out for offside in the early exchanges.

Martinez completed a permanent move from Aston Villa to Chelsea earlier this summer in a deal reported to be worth around £7.5 million, and Sunday’s game was only his second appearance for the Blues. The loss was the first defeat Chelsea have suffered under new manager Xabi Alonso this season.

Pundit Jamie Redknapp had spoken positively about the signing ahead of the weekend, arguing that Martinez’s arrival addressed a key weakness. “You couldn’t take Chelsea seriously this season if they kept the goalkeeper in place,” Redknapp said. “That Emi Martinez one, with his experience and quality that he possesses, I think it gives Chelsea a really good chance. That’s the question mark that everyone had against them: ‘Is the goalkeeper good enough?’ and he certainly is.”