Aston Villa Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez Confident in Premier League Title Race
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez believes that his team is in the race for the Premier League title following back-to-back wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.
Impressive Victories
Aston Villa defeated the reigning champions 1-0 on Wednesday and then secured another 1-0 victory against Arsenal on Saturday night, thanks to an early goal from John McGinn.
Tight Title Race
These wins have propelled Aston Villa to third place in the Premier League table, just two points behind league leaders Liverpool. With Manchester City not performing at their best and trailing behind Villa in fourth place, Martinez is confident that his team has a genuine chance of lifting the Premier League trophy.
Martinez expressed his confidence, stating, “When you beat City and Arsenal in a week, one game controlling them like I’ve never seen Man City being controlled, then suffering against Arsenal for 85 minutes and managing to win again… I’m a believer, mate.”
Unai Emery’s Perspective
However, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was more cautious in his assessment. He stated, “I will speak again in game 32, at the minute we are not contenders. Of course, we are in [the top four] and we have to try and keep it. We are not being dominated at home. We try to keep our same idea like we do at home.”
Emery also praised his team’s performance against Arsenal, saying, “Happy. Very happy. [It was a] top match. We started very well with the great atmosphere. We scored the first goal and controlled the game but, progressively, they were imposing.”
He praised the goalkeeper, saying, “Our goalkeeper was amazing. We tried to defend and keep possession longer than we did. We defended very well and competed. Fantastic three points. Tough week, after these three points we have to be happy but try to keep balanced.”