Arsenal’s legendary defender Martin Keane made a sarcastic remark toward Emiliano Martinez.
Arsenal recorded a 4-2 victory over Aston Villa 안전놀이터 in the 24th round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2022-23 season held at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on the 18th at 9:30 pm (Korean time). With this, Arsenal rose to first place with a record of 17 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses (54 points).
It was an important match for Arsenal. In the last round, Arsenal lost 1-3 against Manchester City, giving Manchester City the lead. In addition, Arsenal had been winless in 4 consecutive official games until just before the match against Aston Villa on this day, so a reversal of the mood was desperately needed.
Arsenal also suffered bad news from injuries. Right before the game, Thomas Party, the core of the midfield, was unable to play due to injury, and Jorginho and Granit Xaka made up the third line. And in the second line, Leandro Trossar, Martin Odegaard, and Bukayo Saka came out, and Eddie Nketia took a seat in the front line.
However, Aston Villa’s resistance was fierce. Olly Watkins, who received a penetrating pass in the 5th minute of the first half, broke through the box with a dribble, bypassed a defender, and fired a shot to break Arsenal’s net. Arsenal then quickly equalized. In the 15th minute of the first half, Saka, who was inside the penalty box, connected a loose ball with a direct shot and shook the net.
A skirmish ensued. In the 31st minute of the first half, Aston Villa took a 2-1 lead thanks to Coutinho’s goal, but in the 16th minute of the second half, Oleksandr Zinchenko, who received Odegaard’s pass, fired a left-footed shot from outside the box, allowing Arsenal to equalize and make it 2-2. Until the end of the second half, Aston Villa focused on defense and put a lot of numbers in the penalty box.
However, Jorginho’s boldness created a crack. Jorginho, who caught the ball right in front of the penalty box in the second half of extra time, attempted a bold shot, and the ball hit the post and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s back and went into the net. This goal was recorded as an own goal by Martinez. Arsenal, who took the lead, won 4-2 thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s key goal.
Immediately after the match, Arsenal’s legendary defender Martin Keane scolded Martinez. “The scene of Martinez’s own goal is ironic,” he told British media ‘BT Sport’. “Martinez took the time throughout the game. But look at him now. He left Arsenal and now he’s hit in the head and an own goal is connected. It really happened.” He made some sarcastic remarks.
Martinez played for Arsenal from 2012 to 2020, but he could not get a starting job and was mainly loaned to the lower leagues. However, he moved to Aston Villa in 2020 and fully developed his skills. Last year, he played a big role as the main goalkeeper for the Argentina national team at the World Cup in Qatar, winning the World Cup. However, Keean was somewhat dissatisfied with his time-consuming behavior and was content with Arsenal’s victory.