Journalist Gregg Evans hailed Emiliano Martinez’s ‘brilliant’ save in Aston Villa’s 0-1 win away to Everton on Saturday afternoon.
The Lowdown: Villa draw at Everton
Unai Emery’s faced another important Premier League encounter, making the trip to a Blues side currently threatened by relegation to the Championship.
It wasn’t a classic game, in truth, with both Villa and Everton struggling to consistency produce any real quality and chances coming at a premium.
However, a penalty from Ollie Watkins mid-way through the second period was enough to edge a victory for Villa and clinch all three points for Emery.
The Latest: ‘Brilliant’ Martinez hailed
Taking to Twitter, Evans lauded a standout moment from Martinez during the game – an heroic first half stop to thwart midfielder Amadou Onana during a period of pressure for the away side.
“Brilliant save from Martinez to deny Onana. #AVFC are really under the pump.”
The Verdict: Such a key player
This was another day that highlighted the importance of Martinez to Villa, with the 30-year-old such an influential presence between the sticks.
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His superb save against Everton also showed how vital it is to keep hold of the 26-time capped Argentina international beyond this summer – that wasn’t his only stop – although it may be hard to.
On current form, there are arguably few better ‘keepers in Europe than the £120,000-a-week Martinez, so he would take a huge amount of replacing if he does move on to pastures new.