Danny Murphy on Match of the Day
Credit: BBC MOTD
Scott Mason
Thu 12 February 2026 8:10, UK
Aston Villa ended their poor run of form at Villa Park by securing a late win against Brighton, with Danny Murphy in awe of one star.
Tyrone Mings thought he netted the winning strike in the 86th minute, but the Premier League has confirmed it was a Jack Hinshelwood own goal.
Mings will be disappointed by that outcome, but he will be more delighted with the three points, as the Villans march further ahead of the chasing pack.
The win against Brighton has extended their safety in third place to five points, with Manchester United and Chelsea following behind.
However, while the late goal will take the fore, Murphy believes one player was key in the win.
Current Premier League table after matchday 26
Credit: Breaking Media
Danny Murphy heaps praise on Emi Martinez vs Brighton
Aston Villa‘s clash against Brighton was not a classic by any stretch, and in truth a scrappy own goal to win the game summed the proceedings up.
Many of the outfield performers were not up to scratch, with Douglas Luiz perhaps the only exception for Aston Villa.
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The South American midfielder proved he still has quality, following his disappointing loan spell at Nottingham Forest.
But it was his South American teammate, Emi Martinez, that has taken the spotlight in the view of Danny Murphy.
Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, Murphy said, “They didn’t play that well, and it wasn’t the best game, to be honest with you.
“But when you aren’t playing that well, you need the small moments to go for you, and they have a wonderful goalkeeper who is capable of producing brilliant saves.
“He did a couple against Bournemouth at the weekend, but when you look at this back, it is a good effort from [Ferdi] Kadioglu; it is an unbelievable save.
“You see the fingers he gets on it. We know he’s got this; time and time again, he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.”
Overall, when you are struggling on the pitch, having a shot-stopper you can trust is vital. If you cannot win, do not lose.
However, in this case, Martinez’ heroics meant Unai Emery’s side could go on and win the game.
Emi Martinez’ performance in numbers
Martinez may not have had many saves to make, with the Argentina international ending the game against Brighton with three, but that does not mean he was not active throughout.
Against Brighton, Martinez was the embodiment of a sweeper keeper. The Argentine rushed off his line on 17 occasions to recover the ball, which is way over his typical average of 8.6 per game.
Emi Martinez stats against Brighton
Credit: Sofascore
Additionally, as the Sofascore graphic shows, he may have only prevented 0.33 xG, but his save against Kadioglu was simply sensational.
If the South American does not get his hand to that, the Turkish defender is nestling it into the top corner.
Over the course of the season, Martinez now has a save percentage of 77.1 per cent, which is the best of any goalkeeper in the division.
Next on that list is Sunderland’s Robin Roefs, some way back on 72.9 per cent, followed by Gianluigi Donnarumma of Manchester City (72.2 per cent).
While Martinez has been making plenty of errors for Villa, his shot-stopping and overall goalkeeping qualities are some that are incredibly hard to replace.
If it wasn’t for him, the result against Brighton could have been very different.