14 April 2024 , 18:51
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Well, that’s put the cat among the pigeons.
Emi Martinez has presided over 32 shut-outs for club and country since he won the Golden Glove at the World Cup. That’s more clean sheets than a hotel laundry or, for those who remember them, a Brentford Nylons store back in the day.
And none turned football upside down like Aston Villa’s pitch-perfect ambush of the title race at the Emirates. Martinez defiled his gong in Qatar with a lewd and suggestive prank, but it doesn’t change the narrative: Villa’s No.1 is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world.
Would Pep Guardiola trade Ederson for him? Probably not. Would Erik ten Hag swap Andre Onana for Martinez? He might not be in the job long enough to get the chance.
Yet it remains one of football’s most curious pieces of transfer business that Martinez was sold by Arsenal, after just 33 appearances in nine years with the Gunners, and here was a showcase for his enduring agility.
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As Villa sat deep, leaving fewer spaces than the dance floor at Birmingham’s famous Snobs nightclub, their World Cup winner was called into action only sporadically. But he simply didn’t look like being beaten.
Within seconds of Ollie Watkins hitting the inside of a post at the other end, Martinez procured a miraculous save with an outstretched leg when Leandro Trossard looked certain to score from point-blank range. Arsenal never looked like scoring again, and if they miss out on the title, they will rue the two clean sheets Martinez kept against them.
“I came to Arsenal as a lad and left a man. I'll always love this club,” he said. "They are still second, they've come far and have one of the best managers in the world. I've worked with Mikel [Arteta]. I know how good he is."
Emi Martinez shone for Aston Villa at the Emirates (Getty Images)
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Nice words about his former employers. But after the Gunners were stunned by Leon Bailey and Watkins’ decisive two-goal salvo in the last six minutes, the great showman from Mar del Plata co-ordinated the celebrations with 3,000 travelling missionaries from Spaghetti Junction like the conductor of a symphony orchestra. With Martinez calling the tune, Villa look the likeliest bet for the fourth Champions League place.
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