Nathan Dyer marked his Leicester City debut with a stoppage-time winner as the Foxes came from two down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in a pulsating clash this evening.

Two stunners from Jack Grealish and Carles Gil had the visitors leading 2-0 after the hour mark, before Ritchie de Laet reduced the arrears on 72 minutes.

Jamie Vardy then levelled up on 82 minutes, before Dyer headed home to send the King Power Stadium into meltdown.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how the contest was won.

Match statistics

LEICESTER CITY
Shots: 21
On target: 6
Possession: 49%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 8

ASTON VILLA
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 51%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 13

Was the result fair?

In a word, yes. As furious as Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood will be, he can have no complaints over the result. It was a game of two halves, with the visitors dominating the first period and earning a half-time lead through Grealish, but it was more or less one-way traffic after the break.

In truth, Villa collapsed like a house of cards when Leicester began to exert more pressure as the minutes ticked on and, even with a 2-0 deficit, there was a sense that the hosts could find a way back and they did.

Leicester City's performance

Coming into the encounter on the back of successive draws which they were fortunate to earn, there were mild suggestions that Leicester's honeymoon period under Claudio Ranieri was coming to an end. The playing staff must have missed the memo. It was a sluggish and full first-half display from the hosts, with striker Shinji Okazaki spending most of it in Joleon Lescott's pocket. At the other end, it seemed only a matter of time until their defence was breached and it came six minutes before the break.

After acknowledging his side's final-third struggles, the veteran Italian manager replaced the ineffective Okazaki for Dyer. Ranieri, the self-styled tinker man, appeared to have done it again. The tweak was enough as Leicester grew in control, with the brilliant Jeffrey Schlupp at left-back causing Leandro Bacuna a whole host of problems. More importantly, though, Riyad Mahrez was growing more influential and, even after falling 2-0 behind, Leicester were playing well enough to suggest that the clash was far from over.

Mahrez swung in the corner that led to De Laet's goal, before the Algerian danced his way around Carlos Sanchez to play in Danny Drinkwater, who drilled a pass across the face of goal for the tireless Vardy to tap home. City and Mahrez were still not finished, however, as he lofted a ball into the area for Dyer to head home.

The winger - on loan from Swansea City - was deprived the chance to enjoy his new-found hero status, having been knocked unconscious by goalkeeper Brad Guzan. At 5'5, Dyer showed tremendous courage to even contest the dropping ball, and fortune favoured the brave. That bravery epitomised Leicester this evening.

Aston Villa's performance

Having gained negative attention for a couple of unsavoury incidents over the last few months, Grealish, who turned 20 on Friday, finally made headlines for the right reasons. It was a first-half performance that will only intensify the ongoing tug-of-war between Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill and England's Roy Hodgson for his international future. Such debate will no doubt continue to rage, but what cannot be debated any longer is that he is certainly worth the effort.

So many would have put their laces through the ball and hoped for the best when it came to him on the edge of the area, but Grealish had the presence of mind to favour precision over power as he curled around a sea of blue shirts to leave Kasper Schmeichel with no chance. He lept into Sherwood's arms like a dog who had missed its owner, with the manager constantly backing his player despite a tide of bad press.

Down the left-hand side, Grealish and Jordan Amavi gave De Laet a torrid time and, prior to the goal, the Birmingham-born midfielder had spurned the standout chance of a first half which Villa could, and should, have led by more. In truth, they never came out for the second half. Leicester dominated after the break, but even still, the visitors doubled their lead against the run of play when Gil curled home from outside the area. It was a finish that perhaps bettered Grealish's effort, but it was the last thing they would celebrate.

Leicester continued to target the increasingly-shaky Bacuna at right-back. The hosts' intentions were obvious from the start of the half and Sherwood deserves criticism for not doing more to address Bacuna's frailties when he had the chance. It was too late. The defender - who should have conceded a penalty but Mike Dean dismissed the appeals - was then directly responsible for Leicester's first after failing to track De Laet from the corner, and then allowed Vardy to squeeze between him and Micah Richards for the second. Guzan was then suspect in his decision to leave his line for the ball that Dyer headed home.

The way in which his side capitulated will no doubt concern Sherwood, and the positive of Grealish will certainly not out-weigh a whole host of negatives on the day.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Riyad Mahrez: Although not on the scoresheet for just the second time this season, Mahrez enhanced his burgeoning reputation with another outstanding performance. He endured a relatively quiet first half by his own standards, but he grabbed Leicester by the scruff of the neck after going 2-0 down and the rest is history.

This comeback would simply not have been possible without his penetrative style and trickery. If Leicester were not already preparing themselves for a fight to retain his services in January, then they certainly will be now.

Biggest gaffe

Simply put: Bacuna ended up with a catalogue of errors, but none more costly than his lack of alertness to track De Laet for the goal that proved the foundations for Leicester's comeback.

Referee performance

Dean only had one contentious decision to make - and he got it very wrong. At 2-0 down, Vardy was furious after the veteran official rejected his penalty appeal having been tripped by Bacuna. Replays showed that there was clear contact and, had Leicester not scored their first moments later, there may have been a brighter spotlight shining on Dean's call.

What next?

Leicester City: Ranieri and co are back in action on Saturday as they make the trip to a Stoke City side still waiting for their first win this season.

Aston Villa: Also returning on Saturday, Villa host West Bromwich Albion.