Martinez holds his hands up over Fulham error
When Ollie Watkins doubled his tally early in the second half, given the threat Villa were carrying in attack, they would have been expected to see the game out with relative
EMI Martinez has held his hand up over a defensive mix-up which put his team-mates under pressure in Villa’s 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage – before making amends with a top-class save to preserve the three points.
Ollie Watkins scored either side of half-time, before Clement Lenglet and Martinez got in a tangle, which
Emery has improved the vast majority of the players in his squad, allowed Rodrigo Muniz to halve the deficit just after the hour. Fulham pushed for an equaliser in the latter stages, with Adama Traore having the best chance to level, but Martinez thwarted him in a one-on-one.
The victory propelled Villa back into the top four after Wolves beat Tottenham.
“Massive win,” said Martinez. “We
but Watkins has arguably made the best progress. He is the second-best striker in the Premier League, only behind Erling Haaland.
Watkins has now been directly involved in 20 goals in 24 away league appearances under Emery, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists. Only Dwight Yorke, in 1995-96, has registered more goal involvements in a Premier League season for Villa.
“He worked for it,” Emery said of Watkins’ brace. “It was a very tough match for him as well and he was fighting with Issa Diop. Sometimes thought Manchester United at home would be a big win, to have 11 points gap to them. We lost at the end, in a game we didn’t deserve to lose. Coming here (to Fulham) there were question marks because we have a few injuries.”
Reflecting on the confusion which led to Fulham’s goal, Martinez continued: “It’s a miscommunication
What pleased Emery most was that his players stuck to the gameplan, despite coming under the cosh in the last 25 minutes.
He demands his players assert control in every game, but that is harder to achieve away from home. He conceded there will be spells when Villa must dig in and ride their luck, but limiting those opportunities and managing the game is key.
A defensive lapse allowed Fulham back in the game shortly after Watkins had scored his second, but towards the end of the first half, Youri Tielemans had a golden chance to double Villa’s lead.
Yet, Villa had to pick and choose their moments to try to score a second as Fulham committed more numbers forward in an attempt to equalise.
In the fifth minute of first-half additional time, after Villa scrambled the ball away inside their own box, Leon Bailey went to charge up the field, but there was no way through. Pau Torres immediately raised his arms, which was a signal to turn back and recycle possession rather than between me and Clem. I shouldn’t have come out. Clem had it clear but when he saw me coming he stopped a little bit. The goal is on me, I put the team under pressure.
“But when the team is under pressure, I said, ‘I’m not going to concede again’. I tried to help with a couple of saves, a few crosses, but I put the team under pressure.”