Aston Villa ace Emiliano Martinez earns place in Premier League Team of the Week with 100% showing v Chelsea
Aston Villa clinched a superb three points at Chelsea on Sunday (24 September), with Ollie Watkins netting the only goal of the game.
It was a very tight encounter at Stamford Bridge, which was made easier for the visitors thanks to Malo Gusto’s red card.
But even with 10 men, the home side threatened Unai Emery’s outfit, but ultimately they managed to secure an important win.
While Watkins has rightfully gained plenty of the plaudits for his goal, his teammate Emiliano Martinez also deserves huge credit for his wonderful performance between the sticks.
As per SofaScore, the goalkeeper made four saves, three of which were inside the box, and was successful in both of his run outs (100%).
He may not have been as busy as his opposite number Robert Sanchez, who was forced into six saves throughout the match, but Martinez was key to a huge win for Villa.
The Argentine caught the eye of pundit Alan Shearer with his display, with the former Newcastle United striker naming the goalkeeper in his Premier League Team of the Week.
“Three outstanding saves that proved pivotal in the win at Chelsea,” Shearer told the official Premier League website (25 September).
But given the standards that Emery has set at the club this season, Martinez may just need to work on his passing on the training ground.
The World Cup winner finished the match with a pass success rate of 76%, completing 35 of his 46 passes. A total of 17 of those passes were long, with Martinez completing seven of those.
The Villa ace also lost possession of the ball 12 times during his 90 minutes, with his manager perhaps set to urge the player to take more care of the ball in future games.
In other Aston Villa news, the club must tie down one ace after his display against Chelsea as a new contract update emerges.