Credit: Ga11agbon via X]

Daniel Feliciano

Tue 14 May 2024 8:10, UK

Aston Villa fans will likely remember the 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Monday 13 May for Emiliano Martinez’s howler for the opening goal.

The Argentine shot-stopper tried to catch a deflected cross but lost grip of the ball and then clawed it into his own net when trying to reclaim it just one minute into the game, gifting the visitors the opening goal.

Two late Jhon Duran goals managed to earn Unai Emery’s side a vital point in their quest for Champions League football heading into the final game of the season, but Martinez’s contributions to that should not be overlooked.

While Villa legend Gabriel Agbonlahor admitted via his personal X account that the moment made him “feel sick”, he didn’t acknowledge the goalkeepers outstanding display across the rest of the 97 minutes he was on the pitch.

Emi Martinez was outstanding for Aston Villa v Liverpool

The World Cup winner had a shaky opening two minutes but after that he was largely unflappable.

According to Sofascore the 31-year-old completed 100% of his run-outs, made three high-claims, made three saves from inside the penalty area and five saves overall.

He also completed 30 of 37 passes for an 81% success rate in an overall brilliant performance to help the team claw back a point from the jaws of defeat.

In the position that he plays Martinez knows that any mistake he makes is likely to lead to an opposition goal.

But he has so regularly dragged Aston Villa out of the mud during his time here that nobody will criticise him, and he deserves the fans to stick by him and give him his flowers.

Ultimately the mistake cost the team an early goal, but his performance in the rest of the game is the reason they got a point rather than none.

In other Aston Villa news, this defender had a “nightmare” during the first half of the draw with Liverpool.

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