Unai Emery labelled Emiliano Martinez as “the best goalkeeper in the world” after his penalty save helped Aston Villa to a 3-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Fulham broke the deadlock through Raul Jimenez who showed great strength to claim his fourth Premier League goal of the season and fifth overall.
Morgan Rogers’ deflected shot off Calvin Bassey drew the scores level in the ninth minute and, after Martinez replicated his World Cup final heroics to deny Andreas Pereira from 12 yards, Villa went ahead through the clinical Ollie Watkins.
The match was not short of controversy however. Referee Darren England showed a straight red to last man Joachim Andersen for a shove on Watkins.
Villa thrived with the extra man in west London and Issa Diop’s own goal added a third, before Jaden Philogene was shown a second yellow for a light push on Reiss Nelson.
Afterwards Emery lauded number one Martinez, saying: “Emiliano Martinez is the best goalkeeper in the world. We need him in moments like today. I was sitting and I was dreaming of the save he did.”
Watkins’ clinical header off a corner put Villa in the ascendency. The England international climbed highest to reach Youri Tielemans’ corner for his fifth of the campaign.
“Watkins is being consistent, working, tactically and defensively, creating chances, he had one chance in the first half but Leno made a fantastic save,” Emery added.
“He scored off a corner and we were being consistent to get there and he scored a fantastic goal.”
Andersen’s dismissal raised some eyebrows around Craven Cottage.
Fulham were denied a penalty earlier in the season after a similar challenge from West Ham’s Max Kilman on Adama Traore.
Boss Marco Silva has called for more consistency with referees and VAR, saying the decision to send Dane Andersen off was “confusing.”
“For me the referees are trying not to go for soft touches,” Silva said.
“It happened already for us against West Ham, they explained us it was soft but two or three weeks later you see a completely different situation and not consistent to what we’ve seen week in or week out in the Premier League.
“I’m not going to find excuses in the referee as to why we lost the game.
“We’re all confused, we all don’t understand, even for you, for fans for staff, managers and players, we’re all confused because when things happen we try to understand why and respect. They explained us why (vs West Ham) and now completely changed the decision.”
[(Gil Vicente FC) Strength]: 1. Gil Vicente FC finished 13th in the league last season. They aim to avoid relegation and fight for a Conference League spot in the new season. Facing FC Porto, the team are motivated to take points in this home game.2. Gil Vicente FC won the recent two games in a row across all competitions. They won 2-0 over CD Nacional in the last league game, smoothly starting wi...
[(Dynamo Dresden) Neutral]: 1. Both sides have never met before, so there were no records to refer to.[(Dynamo Dresden) Weakness]: 1. As the newly promoted team in the 2. Bundesliga, Dynamo Dresden suffered a losing streak in the first two rounds, being demoralized a lot. Facing 1.FSV Mainz 05 in the first game of the DFB-Pokal at home, the team find it hard to secure a win, indicating doubtful mo...
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[(SC Preussen Munster) Strength]: 1. In the new season, SC Preussen Munster's 3 goals in two league games were scored by 3 players, showing multiple scorers on offense.2. SC Preussen Munster won 4 of the last 5 home games in AH, boasting a decent home trend.[(SC Preussen Munster) Neutral]: 1. SC Preussen Munster drew 1-1 with SC Paderborn 07 in the last 2. Bundesliga game, showing average performa...
[(Rot-Weiss Essen) Strength]: 1. Rot-Weiss Essen are playing in the 3. Liga this season. Despite their inferior strength to their rivals, the team will still go all out to secure a qualification spot in this home game.2. Tobias Kraulich scored a goal in the last game, showing his outstanding form.3. Rot-Weiss Essen scored 2 goals and conceded 2 in the last 2 competitive games, boasting decent offe...
[(IFK Varnamo) Strength]: 1. IFK Varnamo are at the bottom of the table this season. If they want to avoid relegation, they have to go all out for points in every game, indicating strong motivation in this match.2. Kai Meriluoto scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team tie with IF Elfsborg.3. IFK Varnamo won the last 2 games in AH, demonstrating recent performances in li...
[(Le Mans) Strength]: 1. Le Mans drew with En Avant Guingamp in the last league game, failing to start with a win. In this home match, they are motivated to secure their first win of the new season.2. William Harhouz scored an equalizer before the end of the last game, helping the team tie with En Avant Guingamp.3. Le Mans secured a 3-game winning streak in recent warm-up games at home, showing de...
[(Mirassol FC) Strength]: 1. Mirassol FC midfielder Gabriel Santana scored a goal in the last league game, performing actively.2. Mirassol FC scored 10 goals in the last 5 league games, averaging 2 goals per game, showing full offense.3. Mirassol FC conceded 5 goals in the last 5 league games, with an average of only 1 goal per game.4. Mirassol FC boast reliable home strength, remaining unbeaten w...
[(Leeds United) Strength]: 1. After relegation, Leeds United returned to the Premier League this season as the EFL Championship winners. The team significantly strengthened their squad during the summer transfer window, with the goal of staying in the Premier League this season. For their opening home game against Everton, they are determined to secure a winning start to the league, showing strong...
[(Elche) Strength]: 1. As the newly promoted team this season, Elche are motivated to start with a home win in their debut.2. In the summer window, Elche signed midfielder Federico Redondo, Real Madrid loan forward Alvaro Rodriguez, and Valencia CF striker German Valera.3. Elche finished 22 wins, 11 draws, and 9 losses in the Segunda Division last season, smoothly being promoted as the 2nd-placed ...
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