Aston Villa did not have many positives to take from their shock 2-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
In the 63rd minute, Jhon Duran opened the scoring for Aston Villa with a bullet header to give the visitors a deserved lead as they were the dominant team up until that point and seemed destined to cruise to a victory.
However, after Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood’s goal was chalked off due to Anthony Elanga being in an offside position, the hosts continued to strive for an equaliser before Nikola Milenkovic got on the scoresheet in the 87th minute.
Six minutes later, Elanga did the same to cap off a famous win at the City Ground and Aston Villa’s capitulation.
But in the 60th minute, Emiliano Martinez would have delighted Villa supporters by pulling off a miraculous save from Nicolas Dominguez’s point-blank header.
The World Cup winner stopped the ball from bypassing him by pushing it out with his left hand that was behind his back off the line and towards safety.
Aston Villa's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saves at close range from Nottingham Forest's Nicolas Dominguez (no.16) during the Premier League match ...
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Jamie Redknapp says Emiliano Martinez made the best Premier League save ever
It could be argued that Martinez could have done better for Milenkovic’s goal, as his headed effort was rather tame in what would have been a much more routine stop in the dying embers of the contest.
But when it came to stopping Dominguez’s attempt at goal, the Argentine executed a save that Jamie Redknapp reckons is the best he has ever seen in the Premier League.
Redkapp explained on Sky Sports: “I can’t think of a better save and there are a few reasons why.”
“He has already got himself in a position where he is trying to get space for himself and then somehow he reacts.”
“I can’t think of a better Premier League save in my life. We talk about the Pele one from Gordon Banks (in the 1970 FIFA World Cup). Somehow, he saved it. It’s almost like a magician, sleight of hand. That is truly sensational.”
Lee Hendrie hails “phenomenal” Martinez save during Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
Lee Hendrie was equally praiseworthy of Martinez after his heroics.
“That save is world-class. I just think the pace of the ball and everything. Phenomenal.”
Ultimately, the former Arsenal goalkeeper will be disappointed with the result against Forest.
However, when looking back at this very game, Martinez may well end up having fond memories after possibly producing the best save of his career.
The 32-year-old’s save certainly belongs with some of the absolute best the Premier League has seen in recent memory at the very least.
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