Ally McCoist picks out Emi Martinez after ‘absolutely remarkable’ Aston Villa moment vs Arsenal
Emi Martinez has been singled out after Aston Villa secured a win over Arsenal.
Villa grabbed a late 2-1 victory against Arsenal as Villa Park saw some of the greatest scenes in recent memory.
Emi Buendia netted the winner against Arsenal to secure the three points and put Unai Emery’s side within touching distance of the top of the Premier League.
The Villans had a number of star performers, with Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers in particular being praised against Arsenal.
Ally McCoist has gone slightly left field and picked out Martinez for his performance before sharing a glowing review of the keeper.
Ally McCoist blown away by Emi Martinez vs Arsenal
Buendia sparked wild celebrations from Emery, who was seen running down the touchline, showcasing the passion the claret and blue faithful know and love.
The Argentine’s strike handed the Villans exactly what they deserved from the clash, even if the Gunners had their chances in the Midlands.
Many star performers caught the eye, with Matty Cash getting on the scoresheet and Boubacar Kamara putting in a stellar shift as examples.
Even with that being the case, McCoist had no doubt in his mind over the most important player in B6 being Martinez.
The Argentina international made a stellar second-half save, leaving the former Rangers star blown away even days later, live on talkSPORT.
He said: “You did mention one player who I think is absolutely vital for them, and it’s the goalkeeper. I think again at the weekend, that one save when he just gets a fingertip to it was absolutely remarkable, I think it might have been from Odegaard.
“You’ve mentioned some great players there, but if you ask me who I think their key player is, it would probably be the goalkeeper.“
Martinez rightly praised for Aston Villa showing vs Arsenal
The 33-year-old has had some shockers this season, but has arguably had more stormers than he’s had howlers.
Martinez’s performance against Arsenal certainly falls into the former, as he was absolutely superb for the Villans.
The Argentine made seven saves on the day and was able to prevent an expected goal tally of 1.07 across the nine shots on target he faced.
He also acted as sweeper on one occasion and chipped in with nine recoveries as he helped to keep the home side ticking over.
Without Martinez, things could have been so much different against the Gunners, especially with that wonder save from Odegaard’s long-range strike.
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