Andy Gray in disbelief at what Emi Martinez did in Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
Emi Martinez blew away Andy Gray with his “absolutely blinding” save for Aston Villa in the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace, salvaging Unai Emery’s side a point from the contest.
The Villans salvaged a share of the spoils at Villa Park on Saturday [23 November] as Ollie Watkins and Ross Barkley cancelled out goals from Ismaila Sarr and Justin Devenny.
However, Crystal Palace could have snatched the three points late into the second half as Jeffrey Schlupp was denied with a “great” save by Martinez, leaving Gray stunned live on beIN SPORTS [23 November].
He said: “This save is absolutely blinding. It’s a great save.”
Emi Martinez salvages a point for Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
The Argentine has proven an enigma at Aston Villa this season, as his performances have not consistently lived up to his usual standards.
Martinez has arguably been one of the best goalkeepers in world football in recent years, but his recent dip in form, particularly with the national side, has proven to be a cause for concern at Villa Park.
However, the shot-stopper is still producing “fantastic” moments in a Villa shirt, and Emery will pray that his display against Crystal Palace is a sign of things to come.
He produced four saves against Aston Villa, including the game-saving stop to deny Schlupp late into the second half, preventing -0.12 goals for the hosts [Sofascore].
While he did concede two goals on the day, his presence was felt by the opposition as he completed 33 per cent of his long balls and 94 per cent of his passes in the build-up play.
Martinez’s form has directly contributed to the five-match winless run in the league since the 3-1 win against Fulham.
However, he has only kept one clean sheet in the Premier League all season, and his 62 per cent save percentage is in the bottom 14 percentile of all top-flight goalkeepers [Fotmob].
This is not good enough for a player considered among the world’s elite in his position. He must rediscover his talent soon, or he will continue to ship needless goals and cost Aston Villa valuable points in the race for Champions League qualification.
In other Aston Villa news, here’s how the Villa players rated in the draw against Crystal Palace.
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