Martinez demonstrated two fundamental qualities Arsenal lacked on his return to Emirates Stadium
Emiliano Martinez probably felt a little conflicted on his return to the Emirates Stadium. He will be happy, no doubt, to have established himself as a Premier League regular, as Aston Villa’s undisputed No1 goalkeeper.
But it may have been slightly bittersweet, too. In the back of his mind, he will have wondered what might have been, whether it could, perhaps should, have been him between the sticks at the other end of the pitch.
Instead, it was Bernd Leno who lined up in goal for Arsenal. And he was the busier of the two goalkeepers in a match that went Villa’s way from the start. The German picked the ball out of his net within 45 seconds, though John McGinn’s emphatic finish proved in vain as VAR promptly ruled the goal out.The ball was in the net again 25 minutes later, and this time there was no VAR intervention. Arsenal fell behind, and Martinez, after ten years at the Emirates, was celebrating as a visitor.
He would have been keen to impress, keen to put a seed of doubt in Mikel Arteta’s mind. Did he put his trust in the right goalkeeper? Was it worth persevering with Martinez, even when Leno returned from injury?
That debate will continue regardless of what happened here, although what is clear is that both are accomplished, reliable goalkeepers. Arsenal and Villa have, for the most part, been defensively astute so far this season, with the exception of what was almost a defensive capitulation in the second-half from the Gunners here.
For Martinez, this was the kind of performance Arsenal fans had become familiar with during his run in the team towards the end of last term. He was not especially busy, but did everything with minimal fuss and real authority.
A weak backpass from McGinn almost left the Argentine exposed, but he raced out to beat Thomas Partey to the ball, sliding in with a strong right leg. Later on, he was called into action to push clear a dangerous Bukayo Saka cross, with Alexandre Lacazette waiting in the middle.Martinez was well-protected, though, and rarely called into action. That might have given him time to contemplate things a little. He earned his move to Villa, who effectively offered him the chance to become a guaranteed starter at the age of 28. Arsenal gave him his start, but it was time to move on.
His decision has been vindicated so far. He has hardly put a foot wrong in a Villa side that leaked goals at an alarming rate last season, and this was another confident, self-assured performance.
Southampton and Leeds had both put Villa to the sword at Villa Park in recent weeks so they must've feared the worst en route to the Emirates.
Arsenal looked a million dollars as they dominated the Red Devils last Sunday and they then smashed in four goals in Europe on Thursday.
A formality? Think again.
Villa were fantastic from minute one and looked every bit the side who won four on the bounce earlier this season.
Ross Barkley and Jack Grealish especially caused Arsenal all kinds of problems and matched their quality with plenty of graft.
And having a man like Watkins to finish off their good work certainly makes life easier.
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