Enormous. Dibu missed a goal, but compensated with a save that saved Aston Villa’s victory and was reminiscent of Kolo Muani’s

Aston Villa has definitively broken the monopoly of the Big Six in the Premier League and has slipped among the teams fighting at the top. With formidable individual performances and the help of Unai Emery, an experienced and solvent coach, the Birmingham team is fighting in the qualification zone for the next Champions League. And among the team’s highlights, of course, is Emiliano Back Martínez, fundamental pillar of the great campaign. This Saturday, the man from Mar del Plata was once again key in the 2-1 victory away from Fulham.

And it wasn’t just any performance. In a very even match, in which Aston Villa took advantage on the scoreboard thanks to individual actions, Dibu had a false start that put the victory in danger. But he appeared in all his dimension shortly before the end to redeem himself and make an unforgettable save that safeguarded the three points.

Ollie Watkins celebrates with Leon Bailey his second goal in Aston Villa’s victoryBradley Collyer – PA Wire

Ollie Watkins is proving to be one of the great appearances in the Premier. Today’s double puts him among the top scorers with 13 shouts. The first was at 23 minutes, when he took advantage of a poorly executed defensive line by Fulham: the forward took advantage of the error and defined; The second, in the second half, found a great pass from Tielemans and shot goalkeeper Leno with a cross shot.

DRAWING MARTÍNEZ, LIKE DRAWING MARTÍNEZ ABOUT THE TIME!! THE BEST!!

???? Look at the #Premier by #ESPNenStarPlus pic.twitter.com/jJkQYz0SUb

— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) February 17, 2024

With Watkins’ double shout, Aston Villa thought they had everything ready for a quiet celebration. But there was a change of plans. The American Robinson overtook the left and surprised with a quick cross at the top of the six-yard box. There appeared the Brazilian Rodrigo Muniz, who took advantage of two things: the late departure of Dibu and the silence of the defender who had been chasing him. The Argentine goalkeeper was portrayed as responsible for Fulham’s discountwho from that moment went with everything to get the tie.

But Dibu’s redemption would come. In an action that is now classic for him and that inevitably refers to that colossal save against the Frenchman Kolo Muani, in the Qatar 2022 final. A filtered pass from Muniz left Adama Traore one-on-one. The definition found Martínez’s left leg, which became a wall to prevent his fence from falling.

Aston Villa took advantage of Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat against Wolverhampton and established itself in fourth place with 49 points, 8 below the leader, Liverpool.

THE NATION

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Emiliano MartinezAston VillaPremier League

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