Aston Villa battled to a 2-1 win over Leicester City on Saturday, as goals from Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey secured all three points.
It was a real struggle for Villa before Barkley eventually broke the deadlock in the second half, as we failed to create much and lacked quality and creativity in attacking areas.
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However, the Villa midfielder’s sweetly-struck finish was exactly what we needed to give us a spark, but just minutes later, we once again failed to keep a clean sheet as the visitors drew level.
Fortunately, the introduction of Ian Maatsen proved to be decisive as he set up Bailey for the winner, and despite missing some chances to kill the game off in the latter stages, Villa were able to hold on this time and seal an important victory to start the year on a positive note.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Leicester City:
Emiliano Martinez, 6.5 – Didn’t have a great deal to do as although Leicester had spells of possession, they didn’t create too many clear-cut opportunities. Produced a great save to initially deny Vardy, but Mavididi was able to tap home the rebound.
Matty Cash, 7 – Defended diligently for the most part and provided energy and width down the right side. However, still has lapses in his defensive work as he could have dealt with the goal better, while he needs to play with more positive intent at times to help us find a way through teams.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Solid shift as he was able to keep Vardy quiet and limit Leicester’s ability to pose a threat through the middle. Recovered well to make a timely intervention after initially making a mistake that gave the visitors the chance to threaten in the second half in a notable passage of play involving the Villa centre-half.
Tyrone Mings, 7 – Similarly to Konsa, the pairing worked well having been reunited in the heart of the Villa defence, as we looked strong defensively for the most part. They’ll all be annoyed that we couldn’t keep a clean sheet, but it was a positive return to the starting line-up as he now has a big role to play with Pau Torres sidelined.
Lucas Digne, 6.5 – A decent effort as he defended well and got forward to give us width. It’s a fine line though as while he’s a reliable and solid 6/7 out of 10 performer every week, he isn’t making a defining impact on our left flank in enough games. Will be under pressure now after Maatsen’s impact off the bench.
Boubacar Kamara, 7 – Covered a lot of ground and provided a protective shield in front of our backline. Particularly important in the latter stages as we looked to see out the game and secure the win, but throughout the encounter he was key in helping us maintain control and limit Leicester’s threat on the counter-attack.
Ross Barkley, 7.5 – Made a positive impact again after being given a chance to impress in the Villa starting XI. Kept possession ticking over nicely as he was one of the few to give us some fluidity to our play, but the big moment was when he produced a brilliant strike to break the deadlock and get on the scoresheet again. Crucial impact.
Leon Bailey, 7 – Was really struggling through the opening hour as he couldn’t get anything going. Looked shot of confidence, but it was a big call from Emery to leave him on the pitch. The Villa boss was rewarded with the winning goal from Bailey, and hopefully that’s a big turning point for him now as he looks to rediscover some consistent good form.
Youri Tielemans, 6 – Wasn’t able to have his usual influence in this game, as Leicester crowded the middle of the pitch and made it difficult for him to have time and space to break the lines and link our play together. Worked hard and gave us presence in midfield, but lacked creativity and quality in the final third.
John McGinn, N/A – Another big loss as he was forced off with a hamstring injury after just 20 minutes. Hopefully it isn’t serious and he isn’t sidelined for too long.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Worked tirelessly despite a glaring lack of service, and so it was a difficult afternoon for him. However, despite some positive things such as peeling off into the channel in the lead up to our opener to force the corner from which we eventually scored, he gave the ball away for Leicester’s goal and fluffed a huge chance in the latter stages to kill the game off. Needs to be more ruthless in front of goal as it will end up costing us next time.
Substitutes:
Jacob Ramsey, 6 – Took a while to settle and get into the game, but he finished it strongly and was key in the build-up to our winner as his pressure and link-up play with Maatsen helped prise Leicester open before Bailey finished it off.
Ian Maatsen, 7 – Brilliant and immediate impact off the bench, as it was his pressing and cross that led to our winning goal. Will hope he’s earned a chance in the starting line-up next week.
Emiliano Buendia, 6.5 – Gave us a lift and renewed energy in the closing stages and went close to scoring a couple of times. His end product isn’t quite there, but a promising impact.
