Goalkeeper Emi Martinez has been singled out for praise following Aston Villa’s comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Aston Villa were under constant pressure from Tottenham Hotspur as Ange Postecoglu’s side streamed forward.
Despite a difficult first half, Unai Emery was able to change things at halftime in his team’s favor, swinging the result in their favor.
Villa earned three points and moved into the top four thanks to goals from Pau Torres and Ollie Watkins. The victory moves the Villans within two points of Arsenal in first place, and the two teams will meet in the coming weeks.
With the Spurs onslaught, one man was on top of his game to keep them out.
What is known about Emi Martinez?
The world’s number one was at his best at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, providing Villa with a solid foundation on which to build.
Even when he didn’t have much to do, he jumped into action when called upon. The Argentine made six saves, including some spectacular ones.
The double save against Brennan Johnson and Pierre Hojbjerg will live long in the memory. The first was a close-range save as the Welshman passed, and the second was a superb diving save into the top corner. A camera save by definition, but still world-class from Dibu.
In an interview with Birmingham Live, John Townley rated Martinez’s performance. On this, he stated, “Dependable when called into action.” Tottenham created numerous chances, most of which were flagged for offside, but Martinez would not have been aware of them. He made some huge saves in the second half. Superhuman.”
The Villa goalkeeper deserves high praise, but it isn’t excessive. The Villans would be a different team without him, and he would be sorely missed.
This demonstrates everything you need to know. As chants of ‘World number one’ rang around Tottenham Hotspur stadium all day, Martinez was the first over to the adoring Villa fans.
Dibu is a cult hero at Villa Park, but he’s also a fantastic player, and Villa are very fortunate to have him. Any claims that Martinez is overrated are baseless, and he is more than deserving of the Yashin Award. Villa are hoping to qualify for the Champions League, and he is a big part of that.
