Aston Villa was pushed to the limit by Leicester City but had enough in the tank for a 2-1 Midlands derby win at Villa Park on Saturday.
All the goals came in the second half, as Ross Barkley opened the scoring and Leon Bailey delivered the winner after Stephy Mavididi had dragged Leicester level.
The Foxes did not quit, but Villa found a first win in three tries to move eighth with 32 points. Leicester leaves Villa stuck in 19th place, their 14 points two back of safety.
Unai Emery’s Villa far from spoiled
Too often in the Premier League, we find teams who buy their own hype and lose the resolve that got them to their lofty statuses. Unai Emery’s not letting that happen to Aston Villa. Yes, they’ve been worn down by fixtures but they haven’t turned into a side who latch onto excuses and let points slip due to lack of effort. Saturday saw Villa down good defenders Pau Torres and Diego Carlos, was without suspended striker Jhon Duran, and lost John McGinn to an early injury. There are names on the bench that only Villa diehards recognize, and turns out that’s fine by Emery. The Villans answered Leicester’s equalizer with a well-celebrated first goal of the season for Leon Bailey, who was very good, and then didn’t shirk their responsibilities as Ruud van Nistelrooy’s desperate Foxes hunted a second answer. This won’t be mentioned amongst Villa’s results of the season, but they needed all three points and got them — don’t ignore these sorts of mettle showcases when you see them.
Aston Villa vs Leicester City player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Aston Villa vs Leicester City player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Aston Villa vs Leicester City player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
Villa host West Ham in the FA Cup on Friday afternoon, then go to Everton on Wednesday, January 15.
Leicester kick off their FA Cup run at home to Queens Park Rangers at 9am ET Saturday, then host Crystal Palace on Jan. 15.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Leicester City live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday (January 4)
Venue: Villa Park — Birmingham
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
Aston Villa vs Leicester City final score: 2-1
Ross Barkley 58', Stephy Mavididi 64', Leon Bailey 76'
Aston Villa vs Leicester City live updates — By Nick Mendola
Full time — Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester City
This should be over!
Bailey cranks a shot off the cross bar, Emiliano Buendia has a shot blocked, and Ollie Watkins is there for what will clearly be a goal.... or..... snapped over the empty goal. Wouldn’t have predicted that.
Leon Bailey goal — Villa 2-1 Leicester (76th minute)
Back in front, off an Ian Maatsen to Leon Bailey connection.
Stephy Mavididi goal! Villa 1-1 Leicester (64th minute)
Jordan Ayew crosses for Jamie Vardy. whose hard strike is parried toward the back post by Emiliano Martinez.
Stephy Mavididi collects the rebound and megs the recovering Martinez to tie the game in short order!
Ross Barkley goal — Villa 1-0 Leicester (58th minute)
Good finish here, a drilled shot from the edge of the area to beat Jakub Stolarczyk.
Halftime — Aston Villa 0-0 Leicester City
Villa would be ahead with any sharpness on the final ball, or a different set of eyes on the 18.
But the non-penalty for a collision between Boubacar Kamara and Stephy Mavididi was probably fair.
Shots finish 3-1 to Villa with a meager 0.15 xG superior to Leicester’s 0.05. Possession is over 60% for the Villans, who will expect to find a second-half win.
John McGinn injury
It looks like the Scottish midfielder will not be able to go on, as Jacob Ramsey gets “suited and booted” in the 19th minute.
Villa all over the Foxes, but Ollie Watkins down
Chances and corners are dotted all over the first quarter-hour, but Leicester somehow holding firm.
Villa star Ollie Watkins is down holding his face, checking his teeth, but he’ll play onward.
Aston Villa lineup
Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Tielemans, Kamara, Barkley, McGinn, Bailey, Watkins
Leicester City lineup
Stolarczyk, Justin, Coady, Vestergaard, Thomas, Winks, Soumare, El Khannouss, Mavididi, Ayew, Vardy
Aston Villa vs Leicester City preview — By Joe Prince-Wright
Aston Villa host Leicester City on Saturday hoping to get their top four bid back on track, while Leicester City are aiming to drag themselves out of the relegation zone.
Unai Emery’s Villa coughed up a lead against Brighton at home last time out to draw 2-2, and their defensive issues continue as they keep leaking goals. They’re still in the top four conversation but need to gain some consistency and get better at the back if they’re going to qualify for the Champions League for a second-straight season.
Leicester City are in freefall, again, as the initial new manager bounce Ruud van Nistelrooy had has well and truly gone. The Foxes have lost four of their last five games and even though they created chances at home against Manchester City last time out they lost 2-0.
Aston Villa team news, focus
Unai Emery will likely make changes after the draw with Brighton as Mings, Onana, Barkley and Maatsen could start to freshen things up. Villa’s squad is strong and given recent performances, Emery will mix things up to try and find the right combinations and balance.
OUT: Morgan Rogers (suspension), Jhon Duran (suspension), Pau Torres (ankle), Diego Carlos (foot), Jaden Philogene (knock)
Leicester City team news, focus
Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen has been missed, while so too have Ndidi, Pereira and Fatawu. That said, the squad is deep enough at Leicester. It’s all about finding the right kind of players for how Van Nistelrooy wants to counter attack and so far the balance has just been off.
OUT: Mads Hermansen (groin), Wilfred Ndidi (thigh), Ricardo Pereira (thigh), Abdul Fatawu (knee - out for season), Kasey McAteer (knock) | QUESTIONABLE: Wout Faes (undisclosed)
Aston Villa vs Leicester City prediction
This feels like a comfortable home win. Leicester are shaky at the back and Villa’s main men Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers are fired up and will cause serious problems. Aston Villa 2-0 Leicester City.
