Aston Villa got back to winning ways with a 2-1 win at home to relegation strugglers Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.
Unai Emery had a few selection headaches before visiting Leicester. While Morgan Rogers joined John Duran on a naughty step after five yellow cards this season, Villa were without injured duo Diego Carlos and Pau Torres. Club captain John McGinn joined the centre-back in the club’s treatment room after limping off in the first 20 minutes.
McGinn didn’t miss much during a dismal first half with almost no scoring opportunities. The two clubs collected a total of four shots, none of which strained either goalkeeper excessively.
Leicester could be content with inactivity. The Foxes have dispatched a staggering 74 shots in the first three matches of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s reign. The current second division champions have tightened up in recent weeks and had a lot of bad luck lost to Manchester City last weekend.
This damp Saturday afternoon was revived late on by Ross Barkley’s powerful opener in the 58th minute. The former England national team player headed the ball to the edge of the penalty area and volleyed into the bottom corner.
Villa’s lead lasted barely five minutes before the visitors countered. Jordan Ayew came down the right wing and sent a low cross into the stride of Jamie Vardy. Leicester captain Emi Martinez parried his jab but Stephy Mavididi was on hand to convert the rebound.
James Justin has endured devastating individual form even against the backdrop of Leicester’s collective woes, and the beleaguered full-back was once again at fault on Saturday. Justin’s limp pass was swallowed up by Ian Maatsen in the 76th minute, who raced past his opposite defender for good measure before teeing up Leon Bailey for a close-range finish.
*Ratings are provided by FotMob*
|
Player |
Evaluation |
|---|---|
|
GK: Emma 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 |
|
in the morning: Your Tielemans |
7.0/10 |
|
RW: Leon Bailey |
7.8/10 |
|
ST: Ollie Watkins |
5.4/10 |
|
LW: John McGinn |
6.1/10 |
|
UNDER: Jacob Ramsey (19′ for McGinn) |
6.5/10 |
|
UNDER: Ian Maatsen (76′ for Digne) |
6.9/10 |
|
UNDER: Emiliano Buendia (76′ for Barkley) |
6.0/10 |
Substitutes not used: Robin Olsen (GK), Kosta Nedeljkovic, Lamare Bogarde, Sil Swinkels, Amadou Onana, Jamaldeen Jimoh.
*Ratings are provided by FotMob*
|
Player |
Evaluation |
|---|---|
|
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: Port Thomas |
6.7/10 |
|
CM: Harry Winks |
6.5/10 |
|
CM: Boubakary Soumare |
6.3/10 |
|
in the morning: Bilal El Khannous |
6.3/10 |
|
RW: Jordan Ayew |
6.2/10 |
|
ST: Jamie Vardy |
6.5/10 |
|
LW: Stephy Mavididi |
6.5/10 |
|
UNDER: Wout Faes (63′ for Vestergaard) |
6.4/10 |
|
UNDER: Caleb Okoli (83′ for Coady) |
ON |
|
UNDER: Facundo Buonanotte (83′ for El Khannous |
ON |
|
UNDER: Patson Daka (83′ for Ayew) |
ON |
|
UNDER: Bobby De Cordova-Reid (90′ for Thomas) |
ON |
Unused substitutes: Daniel Iversen (GK), Hamza Choudhury, Oliver Skipp, Will Alves
Man of the match – Ross Barkley (Aston Villa)
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