Mauricio Pochettino blown away by ‘amazing’ Aston Villa star Emiliano Martinez after what he did v Chelsea
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will have mixed feelings about his club’s FA Cup fourth round draw against Chelsea.
The two Premier League sides played out a goalless stalemate at Stamford Bridge on Friday (26 January), forcing a replay at Villa Park.
The Spaniard will be happy that his team remain in the famous competition, but at the same time he will be annoyed at the extra match.
There weren’t exactly many standouts given the result, but Villa undoubtedly have Emiliano Martinez to thank for keeping them in the FA Cup.
As per Sofascore, the goalkeeper made a stunning five saves throughout his 90 minutes on the pitch, as well as being successful in two of his three attempted runs out.
Moreover, the Argentine won his only ground duel (100%), and even made one tackle and one clearance in the stalemate.
Chelsea simply couldn’t find a way past the 2022 World Cup winner, with their manager Mauricio Pochettino labelling him “amazing” after the match [Sky Sports, 26 January].
As per BBC Sport (26 January) Emery was also blown away by his shot-stopper, noting: “He played amazing today. He saved us two or three times. And then he was always ready to cover our centre-backs in behind. Emiliano today, we needed him. And really he played like he is – number one.”
It was another rare goalless draw for the Midlands club, who drew 0-0 with Everton in the Premier League before the clash at Stamford Bridge.
According to Aston Villa Statto (26 January), it is the first time the club have had back-to-back 0-0 draws in all competitions since September 2017, with none of their first 57 games under Emery in all competitions having finished goalless.
The Spaniard will be keen for another Martinez clean sheet when his side return to Premier League action against Newcastle United on Tuesday (30 January), but he will be desperate to see his side find the back of the net, particularly with the game being at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, one exit-linked Villa man recently shone with an 86% display, Emery will surely be delighted.
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