Aston Villa returned to winning ways in the Premier League, with Leon Bailey’s late goal earning a 2-1 victory over Leicester City.
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The Jamaica international scored in the 76th minute, restoring Villa’s lead after Stephy Mavididi’s equaliser, as he turned in the all-important goal from an Ian Maatsen cross.
After a cagey first half with few chances, the match finally opened up after the break, with Ross Barkley striking home the opener for Villa just before the hour mark.
Mavididi, who had missed a gilt-edged chance to put Leicester in front soon after half-time, made amends as he fired in the equaliser five minutes later, but the Foxes could not find a second response after Bailey’s goal.
The defeat keeps Leicester in 19th with 14 points, two behind Wolverhampton Wanderers in 17th, while Villa move up to eighth on 32 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
20 | +12 | 35 |
| 6 |
Man City
MCI
|
20 | +9 | 34 |
| 7 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
20 | +7 | 33 |
| 8 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
20 | -2 | 32 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
20 | +3 | 30 |
How the match unfolded
Both sides struggled to create anything of note in the first half, with Ollie Watkins' deflected effort the clearest opening until stoppage time.
Watkins’ cross created problems for the Leicester defence, and goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk had to present a strong fist to stop Matty Cash’s strike from the edge of the box.
It was an eventful start to the second half, as Mavididi failed to hit the target with the goal gaping in the 49th minute before a clearance from Jannik Vestergaard fell to Barkley, who fired home the opener from the edge of the box in the 58th minute.
The Foxes, however, found a way back through Mavididi five minutes later. He scored on the rebound after Villa custodian Emiliano Martinez kept out Jamie Vardy’s initial attempt.
However, Maatsen did well on the left wing to win possession before racing into the box and delivering the cross from which Bailey buried the winner.
Injury-hit Villa get the job done
Villa were on a slight blip before Saturday, with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City their only win in four outings, and Unai Emery had to contend with injuries and suspension as his side kicked off 2025 with a victory.
Emery already had centre-back Pau Torres sidelined for up to two months while Diego Carlos and Jaden Philogene also missed out with knocks going into the match.
Morgan Rogers and Jhon Duran, who have 13 league goals between them this season, were both suspended, and the Villa manager’s woes were then compounded when captain John McGinn was forced off injured less than 20 minutes in.
But Barkley, in his first start since a goalscoring display against Crystal Palace in November, and Bailey, with his first goal of the season, stepped up for Emery’s side in their moment of difficulty.
Their winning margin could have been even bigger too if Bailey had managed to bury his 84th-minute shot, but instead, Stolarczyk tipped it on to the corner of the goal.
Watkins and substitute Emiliano Buendia also had opportunities to increase the home side’s advantage in the resulting chaos, but the Argentinian scuffed his shot into Leicester’s defence before Watkins blazed over from close range.
Problems mount for Leicester
Ruud van Nistelrooy began life as Leicester boss with a win against West Ham United and a draw with Brighton & Hove Albion but has now lost five league matches in a row, with the Foxes right in the middle of a relegation battle.
Spirited displays against champions Man City and Villa aside, they are in desperate need of points, with only rock-bottom Southampton, on six points, below them in the Premier League table.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
20 | -7 | 21 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
19 | -10 | 17 |
| 17 |
Wolves
WOL
|
19 | -11 | 16 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
20 | -15 | 16 |
| 19 |
Leicester
LEI
|
20 | -21 | 14 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
20 | -32 | 6 |
They have conceded 16 goals in their last six matches and their defensive frailties were again on display at Villa Park as Danish centre-back Vestergaard’s poor defensive header from a Youri Tielemans cross led to the opener.
Their problems then piled up as James Justin gave away possession cheaply in the defensive third for the winner, with the defender unaware of Maatsen’s pressure.
Van Nistelrooy may look to the January transfer window to strengthen his side and give the Foxes a boost as they aim to try and maintain their top-flight status come the end of the season.
Club reports
Aston Villa report | Leicester report
What the managers said
Unai Emery: "We have to be proud of how we are doing the way with difficulties. The difficulties today were Leicester were performing well and it is difficult to beat them."
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "We were on course to get something out of this game.
"The first goal was a corner in the second phase shot, the second we lost the ball ourselves in a place we shouldn't.
"Overall we controlled the game and didn't give big chances away. That is why it is disappointing we didn't take anything from this game."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Villa have gone 10 consecutive Premier League matches without defeat at Villa Park (W6 D4) since a 0-2 loss to Arsenal in their opening home game of 2024/25. Only Arsenal (12 matches) are currently enjoying a longer unbeaten run on home soil in the competition.
Leicester have lost five successive Premier League matches for the first time since September 2022 (six), keeping just a single clean sheet in their last 21 matches in the competition (a 1-0 win v Bournemouth in October).
Villa have completed their first league double over Leicester since 2003/04 in the Premier League.
When playing their first league game of a calendar year at home, Villa have lost just one of their last 14 such matches (W7 D6), going down 2-0 against Swansea in 2012.
