On May 14th, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a mistake leading to a goal in Aston Villa's 3-3 draw against Liverpool in Matchweek 37 of the Premier League.Playing at home, Aston Villa started the match with determination to secure 3 points to strengthen their bid for the top 4. However, Unai Emery's squad received a "cold shower" in the 62nd second of the match.
Liverpool's Harvey Elliott broke through on the right flank before crossing the ball inside. The ball deflected off defender Pau Torres, leaving Emiliano Martinez flustered. Despite getting a hand on the ball, the Argentine goalkeeper still allowed it to slip through his grasp and into the net.
[caption id="attachment_5327" align="alignnone" width="600"] Martinez's mistake resulting in an own goal.[/caption]
According to Opta, this is the third own goal in Emiliano Martinez's career, the highest number for a goalkeeper who has played in the Premier League.
Martinez's error allowed Liverpool to take an early lead. Despite the home team equalizing after Youri Tielemans' long-range shot, Martinez had to pick the ball out of the net twice more after accurate close-range finishes from Cody Gakpo and Quansah.
It seemed like Aston Villa had secured defeat, but substitute Jhon Duran unexpectedly shone with two goals in the 85th and 88th minutes, helping Aston Villa salvage a point in the 3-3 draw.
Although unable to secure three points, Aston Villa still clinched a spot in the Champions League for the first time in their history. Under the guidance of manager Unai Emery, they currently sit in fourth place, five points ahead of Tottenham. If Spurs fail to defeat Manchester City in the rescheduled Matchweek 34 fixture tomorrow (May 15), Aston Villa will secure a top-four finish.
In their history, Aston Villa once won the European Cup (predecessor of the Champions League) in the 1981/82 season. Since the 1982/83 season, "The Villains" have not returned to the continent's most prestigious cup competition.
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