Leicester 0-1 Aston Villa: Player Ratings as Ross Barkley Strike Earns Villans 3 Points in Stoppage Time

Ross Barkley continued the excellent start to his Aston Villa career
Ross Barkley continued the excellent start to his Aston Villa career / Pool/Getty Images
facebooktwitterreddit

A stoppage-time strike from Ross Barkley earned Aston Villa a 1-0 victory over Leicester, as the Villans continued their 100% winning start to the Premier League season.

In a first half of few chances, neither side could grab the upper hand. After the break, things opend up with Ezri Konsa spurning a good opportunity to head his side in front.

Leicester also threatened with Youri Tielemans stinging the palms of Emiliano Martinez with a fierce shot. Douglas Luiz responded with a strike of his own soon after.

The deadlock was finally broken by Ross Barkley, with the Chelsea loanee scoring from distance in the 91st minute.

Here are all your player ratings from the King Power Stadium


1. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Fofana enjoyed an impressive Foxes debut
Fofana enjoyed an impressive Foxes debut / Michael Regan/Getty Images

Kasper Schmeichel (GK) - 6/10 - A few wayward kicks upfield were frustrating. Could he have done better with the goal? Probably not.

Timothy Castagne (RB) - 7/10 - Kept tabs on Grealish well, getting aggressive when he had to.

Jonny Evans (CB) - 7/10 - Did not put a foot wrong despite playing with a slight knock.

Wesley Fofana (CB) - 8/10 - Encouraging debut. Dealt with everything that came his way and looked great on the ball.

James Justin (LB) - 6/10 - A few clumsy passes but solid enough.


2. Midfielders

Praet struggled before being substituted
Praet struggled before being substituted / Pool/Getty Images

Nampalys Mendy (DM) - 7/10 - Played his role, keeping things simple and breaking up the play where he could.

Youri Tielemans (CM) - 6/10 - Wicked strike nearly broke the deadlock just after the hour mark.

Dennis Praet (CM) - 5/10 - Had a minimal impact on proceedings before being hooked for James Maddison. Stands little chance of keeping his place when Maddison returns to full fitness.


3. Wingers & Forwards

Iheanacho underwhelmed on what was a rare start
Iheanacho underwhelmed on what was a rare start / James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images

Ayoze Perez (RW) - 7/10 - Worked very hard on the defensive side of things, making a string of great tackles. Okay going forward as well.

Kelechi Iheanacho (ST) - 5/10 - Really struggled up front on his own. Gave away a lot of fouls and did not offer any threat in behind.

Harvey Barnes (LW) - 6/10 - One of his quieter evenings for sure. Did fire away a few shots.


4. Substitutes

James Maddison - 6/10

Islam Slimani - N/A


5. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Martinez made a few great stops
Martinez made a few great stops / Pool/Getty Images

Emiliano Martinez (GK) - 8/10 - Made several impressive saves. Increasingly looks like an inspired signing.

Matty Cash (RB) - 7/10 - Kept Barnes very quiet and pushed forward well.

Ezri Konsa (CB) - 7/10 - Should have scored just after the break but was decent other than that.

Tyrone Mings (CB) - 8/10 - Iheanacho gave him no trouble. Marshalled the back line superbly.

Matt Targett (LB) - 7/10 - A couple of wicked deliveries, although his team could have done with a few more.


6. Midfielders

Barkley did very little during the game
Barkley did very little during the game / Pool/Getty Images

Douglas Luiz (CM) - 7/10 - Fresh from starting for Brazil during the international break, he looked classy and composed.

John McGinn (CM) - 6/10 - Tried to inject some purpose into the game but did not always succeed.

Ross Barkley (CM) - 8/10 - Wasteful in possession and lost the ball frequently. None of that matters though when you score the winner.


7. Forwards

Leicester dealt with the threat of Grealish well
Leicester dealt with the threat of Grealish well / James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images

Trezeguet (RW) - 6/10 - Tenacious if not particularity impactful display.

Ollie Watkins (ST) - 5/10 - A quiet day at the office after his Liverpool heroics.

Jack Grealish (LW) - 6/10 - Everything went through him but his influence was dimmed by the impressive Castagne. Sometimes tried to do too much.


8. Substitutes

Bertrand Traore - N/A