BBC reporter: FA not taking any action about Kyle Walker's post-match incident

BBC football reporter Simon Stone claims that FA is not taking any action about the post-match incident involving Kyle Walker at the Emirates Stadium.

As Walker headed towards the Emirates tunnel, he could be seen waving dismissively at Arsenal's set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, who once held a similar role under Guardiola at Manchester City, having appeared to decline a post-match handshake from him.

Jover continued to exchange heated words with the Manchester City right-back, who swiftly squared up to his former Etihad coach before Erling Haaland and security intervened to split up the pair.

Tempers were already bubbling to the surface before Gabriel Martinelli struck an 86th-minute winner for the Gunners, earning Arsenal a crucial win after the two title rivals locked horns in the tense, high-stakes clash.

The Berlin-born coach, much like Gunners stars Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, switched the Etihad for the Emirates as he teamed up with Arsenal boss and former Manchester City assistant manager Mikel Arteta.

Jover came to England in July 2016 to work as an assistant coach to Dean Smith at Brentford and continued under Thomas Frank when the Bees were in the Championship.

His talents were recognised by Guardiola and in 2019, and thus Jover joined City's coaching staff to work on set-pieces.

While at the Etihad, Jover worked in his first few months alongside Arteta, Guardiola's No 2, before leaving to take the Arsenal job.

Arteta persuaded Jover to take a similar role at Arsenal in July 2021 after previous set-piece coach Andreas Georgson returned to Malmo as sporting director.

Whether City were irked by Jover's decision to leave — or he left the Etihad under tense circumstances — remains to be seen, but the explosive post-match spat would suggest there's no love lost between the two camps following his exit.

Jover established a reputation for set-piece innovation and, during his two years with City, the club created 104 chances from set plays in the Premier League, leading to 16 goals.

He also improved City's record of defending opposition set-pieces, helping them reduce the percentage of goals conceded from such situations from 39 per cent in 2018-19 to just 20 per cent the following season and 19 per cent the season after.

Matches such as these — tight and cagey six-point clashes with a Premier League rival — are tailor made for set-piece coaches and, while Arsenal did not score the winner from a dead ball situation, Jover will be delighted with how the Gunners kept City at bay from corners and free-kicks.