Trent Alexander-Arnold has singled Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez out for praise following his performance against Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.
Steven Gerrard’s side did well to only lose 1-0 away to Liverpool on the 41-year-old’s romantic return to Anfield.
However, the reason why it was such a low-scoring game was the Aston Villa goalkeeper.
Not only did the former Arsenal stopper produce a number of brilliant saves to keep out Jurgen Klopp’s outfit on Merseyside.
But the wily South American also killed Liverpool’s momentum at every given opportunity by time wasting, making himself the villain of the piece.
Alexander-Arnold told Stadium Astro when asked about Martinez’s performance: “Yeah you know, he’s a good keeper to be honest. He’s shown that over the past year or so.”
Welcome return to form
A number of Aston Villa players have been absolutely sensational since Gerrard replaced Dean Smith at Bodymoor Heath in November, with the Birmingham club winning three of five outings under the former Rangers manager.
Martinez, a £20 million signing in 2020, is arguably Villa’s most important player, but he’s been worryingly inconsistent under Gerrard thus far.
There have been concerning moments that he hadn’t shown under Smith very often, but the Argentine’s display at Anfield was a very welcome return to form for the big man and hopefully for his and Aston Villa’s sake, he can continue in the same vein.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
