Emi Martinez forced out of Brighton vs Aston Villa just minutes before kick-off – and replacement has nightmare
EMI MARTINEZ was forced out of Aston Villa’s clash against Brighton just minutes before kick-off on Wednesday night, with Marco Bizot replacing him.
The Argentine was set to make his 15th appearance of the season against the Seagulls after being named in the starting line-up.
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Emiliano Martinez pulled out of Aston Villa’s trip to Brighton just minutes before kick-offCredit: Getty
Martinez was seen watching the game from the bench after being replaced by Marco BizotCredit: Getty
But he reportedly picking up an injury in the warm-up and was seen watching the start of the match from the bench.
And Bizot had a disastrous start deputising for Martinez as he made a huge clanger just ten minutes into the game.
Jan Paul van Hecke gave the Seagulls an early lead by bundling into the net after Bizot completely missed the ball from a corner.
Fans were critical of Bizot’s mistake as one wrote on X: “Wow, terrible goalkeeping. Going to be a long night.”
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A second said: “Marco was nowhere near it, so bad.”
And a third added: “He’s come in and first corner he’s probably thought, ‘I want to make a bit of a stance that I’m here’ and unfortunately he’s got it all wrong.”
Villa would eventually go 2-0 down after Pau Torres‘ own goal before Ollie Watkins pulled one back.
Martinez has faced speculation over his future at Villa Park in this campaign after links with Manchester United in the summer.
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Bizot suffered a disastrous start as he failed to catch a corner before Brighton’s early openerCredit: Getty
He remains Unai Emery‘s first choice goalkeeper despite being briefly dropped for Bizot earlier in the campaign.
It led to a bizarre interview between Emery and a Sky Sports reporter after he left out Martinez for Bizot against Crystal Palace in August.
The Spaniard was quizzed on Martinez’s absence ahead of the transfer deadline, but chose to continue repeating Bizot’s name.
The reporter asked: “Emi Martinez not in the squad tonight – why is that?”
Emery replied: “Bizot. Marco Bizot.”
The reporter pressed: “Where is Emi Martinez though?”
But Emery responded: “Marco Bizot.”
The reporter then added: “Will he be your future goalkeeper?”
For the third time, he said: “Marco Bizot. The time [for the interview] is over.”
The interview was hailed as a “Hall of Fame” moment by fans – but Martinez did return to the starting XI for their next game against Everton in September.
