New details have emerged about what was said during a fiery exchange between Emiliano Martinez and Jack Grealish during Aston Villa's 2-1 win over Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
Villa added more misery to City, who are in their worst form under Pep Guardiola, by inflicting a ninth defeat in 12 games on the champions.
Guardiola handed Grealish a first start at Villa Park since leaving his boyhood club for £100m in 2021 in a bid to shake things up.
However, the winger endured a nightmare return to his former home turf, with Villa opening the scoring through Jhon Duran after just 16 minutes.
As the match approached the break, Grealish could be seen appearing to protest the lack of stoppage time in the first half.
The ex-Villa star was then involved in a heated argument with his former teammate Martinez as they walked through the tunnel after the half-time whistle at Villa Park.
The fooatge of the pair exchanging a barrage of words while separated by staff and teammates has now come to light.
Martinez shouts at Grealish and appears to say: 'You think you're a big boy, don't you?'
The Argentine goalkeeper was subsequently shown a yellow card 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 for Grealish in his home city.
There was a chorus of boos every time he touched the ball and at full time the winger responded by raising three fingers to signify the Premier League titles since leaving the club.
Grealish joined Villa at the age of six and, barring a loan in 2013/14 at Notts County, spent 19 years with the club he supports, helping them gain promotion and reach the finals of both domestic cups in 213 games before breaking off the British transfer. file.
Michael Owen has since come to Grealish's defense and told the group of Villa supporters who booed him that they should be ashamed.
The former Liverpool striker said the boos left him 'felt in my stomach' in an impassioned 711-word defense of the Englishman posted on X on Sunday. It is a fate he suffered after leaving Liverpool during his own playing career.
“I often hear or see things in football that make my blood boil,” he wrote. “Most people will probably feel the same way at some point. I think that's natural when you care passionately about something, or in my case, when it's something that consumes your entire life.
'The current capitulation of reigning champions Manchester City is enough to fill pages and jam radio stations across the country. But yesterday there was another story at Villa Park that really made me sick.
'Of course it's not my thing to tar a group of people with the same brush. I've lived a life where me 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, hateful, and bitter people. Your job or where you come from doesn't necessarily put you into a certain category.
'But for those Villa fans who booed Jack Grealish yesterday, you fall into the second category and should be ashamed of yourself.'
“Here's a boy who went through YOUR academy. He has supported The Villa all his life and no doubt still does. He single-handedly dragged YOUR team back to the Premier League, while you were average at best.
'He kept you awake and, in retrospect, showed you ten times more loyalty than you show him now. He almost never got injured and regularly delivered Man Of The Match performances. He cost you nothing, provided you with an incredible service and made YOUR club over £100 million when he left.”
Continuing his tirade, Owen went on to say that he felt inclined to defend Grealish because his “story is as perfect as it gets.”
Grealish has enjoyed huge success since moving to Manchester and was part of City's historic Treble-winning squad in 2023, but has struggled two seasons later.
The England international has failed to score in his last 45 games in club colors and could not help his side reverse their lackluster form on Saturday.
Villa then doubled their lead, following Grealish's altercation with Martinez, through Man City academy graduate Morgan Rogers in the second half.
Hopes of a final turnaround were raised by Phil Foden after two minutes of added time, but Guardiola's side were unable to find an equalizer.
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