Martinez: Lukaku's development is terrific

Everton manager Roberto Martinez was a happy man after the Blues' victory away at Aston Villa. Romelu Lukaku scored his 17th goal of the Premier League season, breaking a club record of sixteen held jointly by Tony Cottee and Andre Kanchelskis. With eleven games still to go and health permitting, the Belgian forward will have plenty of opportunities to set a record for the ages.

This is what Martinez had to say about the record -

"It was a really pleasing moment, it means a lot. But I am more pleased about the responsibility that Romelu has developed this season.

"He is still a young man - sometimes we forget he is only 22 - but I think the way he has developed as an individual has been terrific.

"The goalscoring threat has always been one of Rom's biggest strengths, but he has also grown in terms of understanding his role for the team - and that is very pleasing.

"I'm delighted for him [to break the record] but I know he also has an incredible focus to increase that figure as much as he possibly can between now and the end of the season."

Martinez commented on the 3-5-2 formation that the hosts lined up in -

"Looking from the outside at coming to Aston Villa it looks like an easy game but I can guarantee you that wasn't the case at all.

"I thought they were very clever in trying to use a different formation."

He also spoke about the victory, and the three points that came with it -

"You could see that sense of excitement throughout the fans and everyone at Finch Farm to welcome Mr Moshiri with a win. We are sure he will be delighted with the three points.

"Today wasn't easy but we adapted and kept our concentration. We were clinical up front and defended well, so it was a pleasing win. It has given us a boost at this stage of the season.

"The next 11 games are an opportunity to get as many good performances as we can and as many of the final 33 points as we can. That attitude was clear today."

Aston Villa seem destined for relegation, and Everton fans can sympathize with the sorry situation they find themselves in -

"This is the most competitive league in world football. It can happen to everyone. I have been following Aston Villa for a very long time now and they have been very unfortunate in many games.

"I didn't see a team with no fight or a desire to get the three points. When you concede two goals it's hard to overcome but this is a really strong competition.

"You just want Aston Villa to get back to the glory days that they used to have. They are a traditional football club in British football and you want them to do really well."