SM
Brighton vs. Man City: 16 hrs 52 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
AV
Premier League | Gameweek 25
Feb 21, 2021 at 2.05pm UK
Villa Park
LL

Aston Villa
1 - 2
Leicester

Traore (48')
Luiz (51'), Elmohamady (59')
FT(HT: 0-2)
Maddison (19'), Barnes (23')
Ndidi (34')

Aston Villa 1-2 Leicester City: Foxes boost top-four push with win at Villa Park

:Headline: Result: Aston Villa 1-2 Leicester City: Foxes boost top-four push with win at Villa Park: ID:436214: from db_amp
James Maddison and Harvey Barnes struck for Leicester as they won at Villa Park.

Leicester strengthened their grip on a Champions League spot with a stubborn 2-1 win at Aston Villa.

Quickfire first-half goals from James Maddison and Harvey Barnes moved the Foxes back into second in the Premier League ahead of Manchester United's Sunday evening game with Newcastle.

Bertrand Traore pulled a goal back for the hosts but Leicester edged three points clear of United and have lost just once in their last 12 league games.

While leaders Manchester City remain untroubled at the top, the Foxes look increasingly likely to return to the Champions League for the first time in four years after their heart-breaking final-day miss last season.

Villa were punished for an awful first half and without Jack Grealish, missing with a shin problem, lacked the quality, initiative and drive to recover.

Their problems ran deeper than their absent skipper, though, with Ross Barkley again underwhelming, and Dean Smith's side have now won just three of their last 10 top-flight games to further dent their European hopes.

Aside from brief spells in the second half, Villa never got going and Leicester quickly took advantage with Ricardo Pereira's tame effort collected by Emi Martinez after 33 seconds.

The only minor scare the Foxes faced came when Luke Thomas and Youri Tielemans blocked Traore's path after Anwar El Ghazi latched on to Ollie Watkins' cute flick.

Villa's threat failed to materialise and the Foxes took complete control with two goals in four minutes.

Tielemans' searching pass for Jamie Vardy was half cleared to Barnes and he found Maddison.

The midfielder, on the edge of the box, still had plenty to do but found the bottom corner via the post to give his side a 19th-minute lead.

It was a deserved opener and the visitors' afternoon got better when Barnes smashed in from close range after Martinez parried Vardy's effort.

Villa had no answer and were dangerously overrun in midfield, with Barnes again impressing in front of England boss Gareth Southgate.

The winger's ninth Premier League goal of the season moved him ahead of Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling, leaving it almost impossible for Southgate to ignore him ahead of Euro 2020.

From a Villa perspective, Leicester were worryingly comfortable, but Smith gave his side the chance to redeem themselves and they rewarded him by pulling a goal back three minutes after the break.

The Foxes failed to deal with Matt Targett's low cross and Traore was left unmarked to thump past Kasper Schmeichel from close range.

But Leicester remained unflustered and Maddison tested Martinez with a free-kick before being forced off with an ankle problem and replaced by Nampalys Mendy after 64 minutes.

Vardy dragged wide as the game ambled to a conclusion and Villa tried to find the momentum to earn a point.

Trezeguet's weak effort rolled to Schmeichel as Leicester's resolve held firm through five minutes of stoppage time to continue their top-four charge.

amp_article__436214 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2021-02-21 16:28:25:
html db last update - 2021-03-11 12:36:43 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .