Emi Martinez up to his usual tricks! Aston Villa goalkeeper drags Neal Maupay by the scruff after Brentford forward’s ridiculous dive in heated closing stages

Unai Emery's side won with a dramatic late header from Ollie Watkins, and there were heated exchanges between the two sets of players, with Villa's Boubacar Kamara receiving a red card in stoppage time after Ben Mee was sent off earlier in the game. Towards the end of the game, Maupay attempted to gain a penalty with a far-from-believable dive in Aston Villa's box, however, Martinez was having none of it. The World Cup-winning keeper picked the former Brighton star up by the scruff of his shirt. Chaos erupted in the box and both footballers were lucky to get away without being sent off.

Had the Argentine been sent off, Emery would have been left with just 20-year-old rookie Filip Marschall to play in between the sticks. However, the entire ordeal was a good test for his side as the Villans look set to compete in the title race this season. They currently sit third in the table almost halfway through the season with 38 points, just one behind league leaders Arsenal.

As per OptaJoe, the win over Brentford was Aston Villa's 25th Premier League win in the 2023 calendar year, the most that they have ever won in the club's entire history.

Aston Villa can go top of the Premier League on Friday, December 22 with a win at home against relegation-battling Sheffield United.