Emiliano Martinez kept his fifth clean sheet in 11 games as Aston Villa beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. The 28-year-old had to work hard to keep Wolves at bay, with seven saves made over the 90 minutes.
Martinez’s best stop was arguably when he tipped a close-range volley from Leander Dendoncker past the post. Although the former Arsenal ‘keeper was beaten by a low Fabio Silva effort in the second half, he was lucky enough to see it hit the post.
Dean Smith was full of praise for Martinez after the game, telling the Express and Star:
It is not just about keeping the ball out of the back of the net. It is the composure he shows, the calmness he gives out to the rest of the team.
He is one of our more experienced players in the team. He won trophies last season with Arsenal and he wants to go and improve and show what we are about at Villa.
At the moment he has made the No.1 his own shirt and he knows he is going to come under pressure from Tom (Heaton) and Jed (Steer). He knows he has to keep performing like that.
READ ASTON VILLA VERDICT
Martinez joined Villa for £15.6m and signed a four-year deal from Arsenal in September. He has gone on to make 10 Premier League appearances, conceding 13 goals and keeping five clean sheets so far for the Villans (Transfermarkt).
The Argentine never managed to hold down a long-term starting place with the Gunners, but he is Villa’s first choice between the sticks on merit and looks unlikely to lose his place.
Only Tottenham Hotspur (10), Manchester City (11) and Chelsea (12) have a better defensive record in the Premier League than Villa, so the Martinez fee has been money well spent.
In other news, one Aston Villa player was singing the praises of Jack Grealish over a recent gesture.
