Aston Villa gave their hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four a real shot in the arm on Sunday.
Unai Emery’s Villans were already boosted by Tottenham’s heavy loss at Newcastle on Saturday which saw Villa go fourth on goal difference.
The following day, Villa battled to a superv 2-0 win away at Arsenal to go three points clear of Spurs in fourth place.
The Villans took the lead in the 84th minute of the match, as a ball from the left evaded everyone en route to the far post.
Leon Bailey quickly ran onto it, ghosting behind Declan Rice, and slotted from a tight angle to break the deadlock.
Just three minutes later, Ollie Watkins latched on to a long ball upfield, held off Emile Smith Rowe and chipped David Raya for the second.
Virtually every Villa player shone on the day, with the back line deserving credit for holding Arsenal at bay and keeping a clean sheet.
For instance, Emiliano Martinez was a safe pair of hands against his former employers. His first-half save from Leandro Trossard was particularly impressive.
BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks named the Argentina international in his Premier League Team of the Week and sung his praises.
What did Garth Crooks say about Aston Villa start Emiliano Martinez?
Crooks wrote on BBC Sport: “To beat Arsenal took a superb team performance by Aston Villa from start to finish and it was a wonderful return to Emirates Stadium for manager Unai Emery.
“His team couldn’t have performed any better than a 2-0 win away from home. As far as tactics go Aston Villa carried them out to the letter and it started with Emiliano Martinez.
“Playing out from the back, and when Arsenal are pressing, you have to have nerves of steel. Martinez remained unshakeable throughout this entire fixture.
“However, he is a goalkeeper first and foremost and when he was called on to produce something special he did precisely that.
“His point-blank save from Leandro Trossard at a crucial stage in the match was a turning point in the game and Villa never looked back.
“This is a team and a manager who look like they might be going places.”
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Villa signing Martinez for just £20million has to go down as one of the bargains of the decade. He has gone from strength to strength for club and country.
Meanwhile, Arsenal must be kicking themselves. Not only is Martinez now worth a lot more than £20million, but the keeper who stayed – Bernd Leno – has since also left.
This summer, Leno’s replacement – Aaron Ramsdale – is now likely to leave too. As for Raya, he wasn’t at his best on Sunday, and the jury remains out on him.
In a parallel universe, Arsenal kept Martinez, let Leno go instead in 2020, and the Argentine is probably still their first-choice and on course for the title.
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