Emi Martinez saved yet another penalty as Aston Villa beat 10-man Fulham 3-1 on Saturday at Craven Cottage.
Is there anyone else better in the world than the 32-year-old at saving penalties? Martinez’s career has exploded as a result of it following his heroics at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Aston Villa were level with Fulham in the first half when Matty Cash was punished for handball and Andreas Pereira stepped up.
But the 6 foot 4 frame of the Argentine goalkeeper was standing in front of the Brazilian and he watched his tame spot kick roll into the hands of Villa’s number one.
It was a huge moment in the match because it meant that Villa manager Unai Emery didn’t watch his side fall behind again, especially given how they started the match.
Pau Torres’ poor defending led to Fulham’s goal after just five minutes, but Morgan Rogers levelled minutes later and then Martinez ensured it remained that way going into the break.
That boosted the away team and they came out with even more intent, with Ollie Watkins scoring a brilliant header and then Issa Diop bundling the ball into his own net.
This was moments after Joachim Andersen was sent off for pulling back Watkins as he went through on goal.
Emi Martinez blows a kiss to Aston Villa fans after saving Andreas Pereira’s penalty
Seconds after saving Pereira’s penalty, Martinez turned around and blew a kiss to the crowd, with some suggesting that he aimed it towards the Fulham fans.
But Martinez was quick to take to Twitter to shut that down and put people right, as he wrote: ‘Villa fans, mate. Watch football’, including a thumbs emoji.
This drew a huge response in the comments section, with some Villa fans telling him to ‘own them’, to ‘cook them’ and how Martinez is the world’s number one goalkeeper.
Emi Martinez is the world’s number one goalkeeper
Martinez was named in the top 100 players right now, but to Villa fans, nobody else, not Alisson Becker or Ederson are better than him.
The proof of that is that Martinez is the current holder of the Yashin Trophy – dedicated to the best keeper in the world – and he has been nominated again in 2024.
You will constantly hear the Holte End singing his name and they have good reason to after where he has helped guide the club.
Martinez joined Villa from Arsenal in 2020 when the team had just survived relegation under Dean Smith.
Fast forward to the present and he has helped the club return to the Champions League, including playing a key role in Emery masterminding the team to their best start to a Premier League campaign in 26 years.
What’s even better is that Martinez’s future at Villa is secured, so more stories are yet to be written.
