Villa went into this game 3 wins out of 3 and off the back of a remarkable 7-2 win against Liverpool. Confidence was high however Leicester are a great side and a loss would’ve not been a surprise, a draw would’ve been welcomed but a win would’ve continued a dream start to the season for Dean Smith’s men.
Aston Villa XI:
Pre game Villa’s confidence would’ve been boosted by the absence of Leicester’s Jamie Vardy and Çağlar Söyüncü, whilst Villa were unchanged from the demolishing of Liverpool. It was a slow and quite honestly dull first half. Both teams were probably admittedly slightly off the pace and not at their best especially in the final third. Leicester started off on top and were getting into better areas than Villa. Although not really posing too much of a threat to the Villa defence. Emi Martinez holding on to a couple of half chances was about as much as there was to talk about in the first half. Jack Grealish was, as usual, looking the bright and creative spark on the pitch, most things Villa did went through him. Are you watching Mr Southgate?
An Ezri Konsa header from a corner which just whistled wide of the post in the second half was the best chance both teams could muster up. Villa certainly looked the better team in the second half, more threatening going forward, John McGinn putting in another terrier like performance in midfield. Bertand Traore replaced Trezeguet who put in another big shift, his defensive efforts have really been appreciated this season. He may not be the most productive going forward at times but he undoubtedly does the dirty work very well. Traore himself had a header saved late on by Kasper Schmeichel in a game which looked like it was heading for a stalemate, but up steps Ross Barkley. A drop of the shoulder from John McGinn saw Villa breakaway in the 91st minute, he laid the ball back for Barkley who tried his luck from range and found the bottom left corner. Jubilation from a Villa point of view in a game where we would’ve settled for a point and a clean sheet at this stage. The full time whistle blew, Leicester City 0- 1 Aston Villa. What a result.
Villa are now four wins from four, three clean sheets from four games and the only English side to maintain a 100% record. Despite it being far from an entertaining affair, again all players didn’t put a foot wrong. Martinez did his job when called upon, Konsa and Mings appear to be forming a formidable partnership at the back, Cash and Targett were both equally as good at full back. The midfield three of Luiz, McGinn and Barkley showed it’s quality in parts, Jack Grealish put in another Man of the Match performance. Trezeguet put in another solid shift and Ollie Watkins worked hard and looked dangerous on the counter at times. What a start to the season it has been and may long it continue. Villa host Leeds United on Friday night and will be hoping they can continue their fine form and make it five wins from five.
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