Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester: Player ratings as Bailey secures Villans victory
- A dull first half gave way to an entertaining second 45 minutes
- Aston Villa and Leicester traded goals in quick succession around the hour mark
- Leon Bailey fired the hosts in front
Aston Villa returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory at home to relegation-battling Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.
Unai Emery had several selection headaches ahead of Leicester's visit. While Morgan Rogers joined Jhon Duran on the naughty step after collecting five yellow cards this season, Villa were without the injured duo of Diego Carlos and Pau Torres. Club captain John McGinn joined the centre-back's in the club's treatment room after limping off in the opening 20 minutes.
McGinn did not miss much during a bleak first half almost entirely barren of any scoring chances. The two clubs mustered a combined four shots between them, none of which overly exerted either goalkeeper.
Leicester could be content with the inactivity. The Foxes shipped a staggering 74 shots across the first three matches of Ruud van Nistelrooy's reign. The reigning second-tier champions have tightened up in recent weeks and were mightily unfortunate to lose to Manchester City last weekend.
This damp squib of a Saturday afternoon was belatedly brought to life by Ross Barkley's thumping 58th-minute opener. The former England international collected a headed clearance on the edge of box and blasted a volley into the bottom corner.
Villa's lead lasted barely five minutes before the visitors struck back on the counter. Jordan Ayew ferreted down the right wing and slide a low cross into the stride of Jamie Vardy. Leicester's skipper had his stabbed effort pawed away by Emi Martinez, but Stephy Mavididi was on hand to convert the rebound.
James Justin has endured a ruinous run of individual form even against the backdrop of Leicester's collective woes and the beleaguered full-back was at fault once again on Saturday. Justin's limp pass was gobbled up by Ian Maatsen in the 76th minute who drove past his opposite defender for good measure before teeing Leon Bailey up for a close-range finish.
Aston Villa player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Emi Martinez | 6.9/10 |
RB: Matty Cash | 8.1/10 |
CB: Ezri Konsa | 7.2/10 |
CB: Tyrone Mings | 7.3/10 |
LB: Lucas Digne | 7.2/10 |
CM: Boubacar Kamara | 7.2/10 |
CM: Ross Barkley | 8.5/10 |
AM: Youri Tielemans | 7.0/10 |
RW: Leon Bailey | 7.8/10 |
ST: Ollie Watkins | 5.4/10 |
LW: John McGinn | 6.1/10 |
SUB: Jacob Ramsey (19' for McGinn) | 6.5/10 |
SUB: Ian Maatsen (76' for Digne) | 6.9/10 |
SUB: Emiliano Buendia (76' for Barkley) | 6.0/10 |
Subs not used: Robin Olsen (GK), Kosta Nedeljkovic, Lamare Bogarde, Sil Swinkels, Amadou Onana, Jamaldeen Jimoh.
Leicester player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Jakub Stolarczyk | 5.9/10 |
RB: James Justin | 5.1/10 |
CB: Conor Coady | 5.9/10 |
CB: Jannik Vestergaard | 6.7/10 |
LB: Luke Thomas | 6.7/10 |
CM: Harry Winks | 6.5/10 |
CM: Boubakary Soumare | 6.3/10 |
AM: Bilal El Khannous | 6.3/10 |
RW: Jordan Ayew | 6.2/10 |
ST: Jamie Vardy | 6.5/10 |
LW: Stephy Mavididi | 6.5/10 |
SUB: Wout Faes (63' for Vestergaard) | 6.4/10 |
SUB: Caleb Okoli (83' for Coady) | N/A |
SUB: Facundo Buonanotte (83' for El Khannous | N/A |
SUB: Patson Daka (83' for Ayew) | N/A |
SUB: Bobby De Cordova-Reid (90' for Thomas) | N/A |
Subs not used: Daniel Iversen (GK), Hamza Choudhury, Oliver Skipp, Will Alves
Player of the match - Ross Barkley (Aston Villa)
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