Aston Villa managed to stifle their poor run of form with a goalless draw at the King Power Stadium.
It was a game of few chances, with neither keeper particularly tested. Leicester had played four games since Villa hosted Spurs, and both sides seemed to struggle to break down the other.
In what was an important point on the road, let’s assess how each of our Claret and Blue stars fared in this stalemate tie.
STARTING LINE-UP
Formation 4-3-3
Emi Martinez – 6
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
Emi didn’t have much to do, with Leicester failing to convert large periods of possession into threatening shots on goal. His distribution was poor at times, but could have been down to windy conditions. Important clean sheet!
Matty Cash – 6
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
Had a decent battle against the likes of Dewsbury-Hall, but all in all Cash didn’t have a particularly difficult defensive game. At the other end of the field, we didn’t get to see the best of Cash’s offensive capabilities.
Ezri Konsa – 5
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
Ezri looked slightly rattled at times, having to monitor the movements of Ademola Lookman. I think he did an okay job, but there we a couple of occasions that his fellow defensive partners had to bail him out. Overall, not a bad performance.
Tyrone Mings – 6
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
Mings looked quite calm and confident at the back despite all of Leicester’s pressuring. There were a few clean tackles that intercepted Leicester’s attacks in crucial moments. He missed a good headed opportunity to put Villa ahead, and some of his long balls were over hit and conceded possession easily. A decent performance.
Ashley Young – 7
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
I think Young looked really strong in this game. After a fluctuating season in and out of the side, and a couple of dodgy performances against Watford and Wolves, Ashley redeemed himself with this assured performance. He tidied up everything he needed to and looked strong.
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Douglas Luiz – 6
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
Douglas looked pretty settled in the centre of the park against Leicester, particularly in the first half. He didn’t do anything particularly special, but nothing bad either. Did get booked and made way for Tim in the second half to avoid a second booking.
John McGinn – 5
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
A pretty torrid first half for McGinn included a lot of misplaced passes and a complete inability to get a foothold on the game. The second half was much better as John battled much harder in the middle of the park, winning fouls, getting opposition players booked, and driving forward where possible. Still couldn’t do enough to make a difference to the scoreline.
Jacob Ramsey – 5
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
This game seemed to totally pass JJ by as he appeared totally absent for most of the game. As always, Jacob always looked for ways to move forward, but he just couldn’t make an impact today. The question continues whether he needs a short stint on the sidelines to reset.
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Leon Bailey – 4
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
Given a vote of confidence by Gerrard to step up to the starting eleven after he was apparently the hardest worker in training since the last game. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see this same tenacity on the field. Bailey was pretty sloppy in possession and his final balls were quite poor. Conceded a silly free kick and got booked at the end of the game.
Philippe Coutinho – 4
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
Another extremely quiet game for Coutinho, who barely got a foot on the ball for his entire cameo. His first, and perhaps only, bright moment came in the 78th minute as he broke with the ball in his own half, charging forward before laying the ball off to Bailey and eventually winning just a corner. Disappointing.
Ollie Watkins – 7
Rating contribution from Hannah Gowen
Despite a lack of goals, I think Watkins was the only bright spark at the King Power. He led the line pretty well despite a lack of service, and had a couple of good chances that he failed to trouble Schmeichel with.
SUBSITUTIONS
Emi Buendia – 6
on for Coutinho, 79th minute – Many fans have been calling for Buendia to start a game, and it’s clear to see why. In his short debut, Buendia looked really lively with his forward play and immediately tried pulling the strings at the front.
Tim Iroegbunam – 6
on for Luiz, 76th minute – Tim’s second senior appearance was an assured one. He did what was asked of him and settled in nicely in the middle of the park. Hopefully the start of many features for the youngster.
Marvellous Nakamba – N/A
on for Ramsey, 90+4th minute – Didn’t have time to make any impact, but great to see him back on the field after his injury.
Subs not used | Robin Olsen, Benjamin Chrisene, Calum Chambers, Danny Ings, Tommi O’Reilly, Carney Chukwuemeka.
GOALS
Leicester City | N/A
Aston Villa | N/A
OPPOSITION
Leicester City | Schmeichel; Justin, Soyuncu, Fofana, Castagne; Tielemans (Perez, 85), Mendy, Dewsbury-Hall; Lookman (Barnes, 76), Daka (Vardy, 70), Maddison.
Subs not used | Ward, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Perez, Amartey, Choudhury, Ricardo Pereira.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Andy Madley Assistants: Richard West, Mark Scholes Fourth Official: Martin Atkinson VAR: Peter Bankes Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis
THE BOSS
UP NEXT
Norwich City (H) | Saturday 30th April 2022 | 15:00
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