BREAKING NEWS: Although we won today but to be honest He really gave me tough time today, I couldn’t breathe for the whole 90 minutes because of Him”, Aston Villa goalkeeper Martinez reveals the ONE Arsenal player that really surprised Him Today – Not Bukayo Saka and Not Trossard DESPITE THE LOSS HE REALLY PROVED HIS WORTH

In the electrifying cauldron of Villa Park, where the roar of 42,888 fervent Aston Villa supporters echoed like thunder through the historic stands, a Premier League classic unfolded that will be etched into the annals of English football history.

On a crisp December evening, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa pulled off a heist for the ages, snatching a 2-1 victory over the league-leading Arsenal with a stoppage-time stunner from Emiliano “Emi” Buendía.

The final whistle blew, and the Villans erupted in jubilation, temporarily vaulting them to second place on 30 points, just three behind Mikel Arteta’s Gunners and breathing down Manchester City’s neck.

But amid the post-match pandemonium—hugs, scarves aloft, and tears of disbelief— it was the words of Villa’s talismanic goalkeeper, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, that stole the spotlight.

The World Cup-winning Argentine, who once patrolled the Emirates as Arsenal’s backup shot-stopper before his transformative £17 million move to Villa in 2020, delivered a candid, breathless confession that cut through the celebrations like a knife.

“Although we won today, but to be honest, he really gave me a tough time today,” Martínez revealed in a raw, unfiltered interview with Sky Sports just moments after the full-time whistle. “I couldn’t breathe for the whole 90 minutes because of him.

He was everywhere—relentless, intelligent, dragging me into battles I didn’t see coming. Despite the loss, he really proved his worth out there today.”

And who was this phantom menace that had the 33-year-old Martínez, renowned for his ice-cool penalty heroics and mind games, gasping for air? Not the electric Bukayo Saka, whose teasing crosses and mazy runs have terrorized defenses all season.

Not the clinical Leandro Trossard, who ghosted in to equalize early in the second half with a poacher’s finish.

No, Martínez singled out Arsenal’s midfield maestro, Martin Ødegaard—the unassuming Norwegian captain whose subtle genius often flies under the radar but whose influence permeated every blade of grass at Villa Park on Saturday.

Ødegaard’s performance was a masterclass in understated dominance, a symphony of vision and tenacity that left Martínez—and indeed, the entire Villa backline—reeling. In a match where Arsenal dominated possession (58%) and peppered Martínez’s goal with seven shots on target, it was Ødegaard who orchestrated the chaos.

He completed 92% of his passes, including three key through-balls that sliced open Villa’s defense like a hot knife through butter.

His dipping, venomous effort from 25 yards in the 69th minute forced Martínez into a fingertip save that was nothing short of miraculous, the ball brushing the crossbar before being cleared.

And in the buildup to Trossard’s equalizer, it was Ødegaard’s chipped cross—deft, delicious, and delivered with the precision of a surgeon—that found the Belgian unmarked at the back post.

“Martin surprised me the most,” Martínez elaborated, wiping sweat from his brow as he stood pitchside, still clad in his mud-caked kit. “Everyone talks about Saka’s speed, Trossard’s finishes, but Ødegaard… he’s like a ghost in the machine.

He doesn’t just play the ball; he anticipates where the game needs to go. Today, he was dropping deep, pressing high, winning duels—I think he covered more ground than anyone. I was shouting at my defenders to track him, but he slipped through gaps we didn’t even know were there.

For 90 minutes plus five, I felt him breathing down my neck. Arsenal lost, but he was their heartbeat. Hats off to him; he deserved a point for that display alone.”

Martínez’s praise is all the more poignant given his history with Arsenal. The Mar del Plata native spent a decade in north London, making just 34 first-team appearances before Emery—then at Villarreal—lured him to the Premier League with Villa.

Since then, “Dibu” has become a cornerstone of Villa’s resurgence, his 15 clean sheets in 50 league games underscoring his status as one of the division’s elite custodians.

Yet, in defeat for his old club, Martínez couldn’t hide his admiration for Ødegaard, a player whose trajectory mirrors his own: from overlooked prospect to indispensable leader.

Let’s rewind to the match itself, a rollercoaster that encapsulated the Premier League’s intoxicating unpredictability. Kickoff arrived under floodlights that bathed Villa Park in a golden hue, the air thick with anticipation.

Arsenal, unbeaten since August 31 and perched atop the table with 33 points from 15 games, arrived as favorites. Arteta’s side had weathered storms at Chelsea and St. James’ Park, their blend of youth and steel making them the form team of the season.

Villa, however, were no pushovers—Emery’s men had won nine of their last 10 league outings, their high-pressing, fluid attack a nightmare for any backline.

The game ignited in the 36th minute when Matty Cash, the evergreen right-back, rose like a salmon to thump home a header from Douglas Luiz’s corner. Villa Park exploded; Cash wheeled away, fists pumping, as Martínez punched the air from his goalmouth.

It was a dream start for the hosts, who had spurned earlier chances—Ollie Watkins’ volley clawed away by David Raya in the 18th minute chief among them. Arsenal, shell-shocked, retreated into a shell, their giveaway errors in midfield—courtesy of a rare off-day for Declan Rice—allowing Villa to probe relentlessly.

Ødegaard, though, refused to let the narrative slip. The 26-year-old, signed from Real Madrid for £30 million in 2021, has evolved into Arteta’s on-pitch philosopher king. Wearing the captain’s armband with quiet authority, he dictated tempo from the No.

10 role, evading Boubacar Kamara’s markers with sleight-of-foot that bordered on sorcery. His heatmap post-match read like a midfield manifesto: touches in every zone, recoveries in dangerous areas, and a duel win rate of 65%.

“Martin’s not just a playmaker; he’s a conductor,” Arteta said post-match, his voice laced with frustration at the late collapse. “He sets the rhythm, and today, even when we were chasing, he kept us alive.”

The second half flipped the script. Arsenal emerged with fire in their bellies, Arteta’s half-time tweaks—introducing Trossard and Viktor Gyökeres for Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino—injecting fresh legs.

Trossard, on for mere minutes, latched onto Ødegaard’s lofted pass after Saka’s cross grazed Martínez’s gloves, smashing home from six yards in the 52nd minute. It was the Belgian’s third goal in as many substitute appearances this season, a testament to his predatory instincts.

Villa wobbled, their lead evaporating as Arsenal piled forward. Ødegaard’s influence peaked here: a threaded pass to Gyökeres nearly unlocked the vault in the 66th, only for Pau Torres to intercept at the last.

Yet, football’s cruel poetry struck in the 90+5th minute. A chaotic scramble in Arsenal’s box—sparked by a deflected clearance—saw the ball ping-pong off shins and torsos. Amid the melee, Buendía, the £30 million Argentine wizard, conjured composure from thin air.

His curling first-time shot arrowed into the top corner, wrong-footing Raya and sending Villa Park into seismic convulsions. Four Gunners hit the deck in exhaustion; Martínez sprinted the length of the pitch to join the huddle, his embrace with Buendía a symbol of Villa’s unbreakable spirit.

For Arsenal, the agony was palpable. Arteta, pacing his technical area like a caged lion, called it “very painful, especially after all the effort.” Their unbeaten run—18 games—shattered, and with Manchester City looming against Sunderland, the title race suddenly feels like a knife-edge sprint.

Saka, heroic until his 87th-minute withdrawal on a yellow card, epitomized the Gunners’ grit, but even he deferred to Ødegaard in the tunnel handshakes. Trossard, scorer and subbed off after 30 luminous minutes, added to the “what ifs,” but Martínez’s nod went elsewhere.

So why Ødegaard? In a league bloated with marquee names—Haaland’s goals, Salah’s sorcery—Ødegaard’s brilliance is the quiet storm. Since captaining Norway at 15, he’s amassed 12 goals and 10 assists this campaign, his set-piece delivery (two assists from corners alone) a weapon of mass creation.

Against Villa, he logged 78 touches, four chances created, and a tackle count that belied his slight frame. “He’s the brain,” Martínez continued, his accent thick with respect. “Saka burns you with pace, Trossard stabs you with finishes, but Ødegaard… he suffocates you. He sees passes two moves ahead.

I was yelling at my center-backs—’Mark the shadow!’—but he was always one step ahead. If Arsenal win the league, it’s because of players like him proving their worth every week, win or lose.”

Emery, Martínez’s mentor from Villarreal days, beamed in his presser: “Dibu is our rock, but today, Arsenal’s Ødegaard was their mountain. We climbed it, but barely.” Arteta, ever the diplomat, countered: “Martin’s our leader.

Losses like this hurt, but they fuel us.” As Villa plot their European tilt against Basel midweek, and Arsenal lick wounds before Wolves, one truth lingers: in a season of surprises, Ødegaard’s quiet roar surprised even the man who’d once guarded his goal.

This clash wasn’t just three points; it was a statement. Villa, once relegation fodder, now title whisperers. Arsenal, invincible no more, but resilient.

And Martínez, the bridge between old and new, reminding us that football’s greatest tales are told not in goals, but in the battles unseen—the ones that leave even heroes breathless.