It was a debut to remember for Emiliano Martinez, who started his Aston Villa career in fine fashion on Monday night by helping his new club beat Sheffield United 1-0 at Villa Park.
A number of his current teammates, and those at Arsenal, reacted to his Instagram message, as he expressed his delight at his ‘amazing debut’.
In the comments section, Gabriel Martinelli wrote that his former teammate ‘deserves the world’, whilst Matt Targett, who conceded the penalty which Martinez saved, labelled him a ‘hero’.
Added with that, Ian Wright posted heart emojis to the shot-stopper, with the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka also following suit. Jack Grealish labelled his new teammate ‘King Emi’, as they were clearly delighted with the impact he already has had on the club.
Remarkably, Martinez’s first save for Villa was stopping Sheffield United from scoring the penalty, which in the end, helped Dean Smith’s men secure all three points.
Martinez was a popular figure in North London and it hasn’t taken him long to become a fan favourite at his new club.
What was also impressive about Martinez’s display yesterday was how composed he was in dealing with crosses, whether they came from open play or set-piece situations.
Added with that, with no crowds in the stadiums, Martinez’s voice could be heard through the TV screens, as he has also brought an element of leadership skills to the West Midlands outfit.
The next stop for Martinez is a return to London where Villa will take on Fulham in the Premier League, but before then they do have a League Cup encounter to deal with on Thursday night.
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