Aston Villa

The first half saw Villa take the lead twice through Ollie Watkins and a Harry Souttar own goal. The Foxes equalised both times from James Maddison and Kelechi ...

He looks great in the air and he’s got a bit of a mean streak. The whistle blew and the Foxes had the three points in the bag. A furious City attack saw the ball switched from the left to the right and back to the left again. Alex Moreno should have dealt with it comfortably, but he got it all wrong and presented the ball to the Belgian, who rounded the keeper and fired home into the unguarded net. This could be his time to shine, and man oh man he deserves a run in this side. The Foxes took the lead in the final seconds of the injury time. It was the perfect way to cap an absolutely exhausting half of football. On the half-hour, Watkins tried to fire a low ball across the goalmouth. City had to absorb an extended period of pressure from the Villans in the middle section of the half. Kristiansen and Barnes combined well on the left, allowing the winger to fire in a venomous cross that evaded the entire Villa defence. The deficit was short-lived as the Foxes immediately manufactured an equaliser with a huge assist from the hosts. The squad may have been revamped, but the match started in a fashion that will be familiar to all City fans this year.

Ollie Watkins put the hosts ahead early on at Villa Park with his sixth goal of the season and second in as many games, only for James Maddison to level almost ...

TOM COLLOMOSSE AT VILLA PARK: Leicester's new boys breathed life into their battle for survival as the Foxes exploited some dreadful defending to secure ...

Souttar had looked shaky but he showed his worth midway through the second half with a vital challenge to deny Watkins, who had been released by Buendia. Ward looked nervy and Souttar, Faes and sub Nampalys Mendy were all forced into desperate challenges to hang in to their lead. But Leicester were still a threat and Tete guided an effort just wide after getting the better of Digne’s replacement Alex Moreno. Iheanacho’s pass was delightful and with Villa appealing for offside, the Brazilian slipped past Emiliano Martinez and fired his side in front. Played in by Youri Tielemans, the Nigerian was one on one with Martinez but shot wide. Leicester had taken off Iheanacho and Maddison and were right under the cosh at this stage. Just after the half-hour, his team deservedly regained the lead. The ball broke to Iheanacho and when he found Maddison, the midfielder deceived Ezri Konsa before firing home. Only Iheanacho will know how he didn’t score Leicester’s fourth in the opening seconds of the half. Moreno was giving Leicester a problem at the other end, though, and when he and Buendia worked together to set up Bailey, the Jamaican delayed his shot, allowing Faes to block and Castagne to clear. Not surprisingly, Maddison milked the moment, staring into the Villa fans with his hands to his ears. And the warning signs were there for Leicester in the second minute when Leon Bailey waltzed past Kristiansen and cut the ball into the danger zone, forcing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to make a vital interception.

Aston Villa play a patient and effective brand of football under Unai Emery, according to Ashley Preece from Birmingham Live.

It’s the first Saturday 3pm all season at Villa Park, so the fans are happy with that one, and it should be a good game. He’s transformed the club from top to bottom. Villa are three points off the top six now. You’re looking at a different Villa now. [Saturday's clash with Leicester City](https://www.lcfc.com/match/75121) on the back of five wins in seven matches. The Spaniard's arrival at Villa Park has turned a season which could have involved relegation anxiety into one which may end with European qualification.