Paul Doyle was our man at Villa Park ...
Another big result for Newcastle ...
Here is the report from Norwich versus Sheffield United.
What next for Villa? They do not look like threatening a back four with the current setup. The hope is Grealish can pull something out of the bag, as no one else looking capable of doing so.
EIGHT IN A ROW!
8 - Leicester City have now won their last eight Premier League games in a row – their best-ever winning run in their top-flight history. Classy. #AVLLEI pic.twitter.com/88LXTmzj5G
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 8, 2019
Evans: “We’re up there, we’re challenging, we’re playing well.”
Evans thinks people will start talking Leicester up with regards to the title challenge.
Chris, from Stockport, has emailed in: “Re your request for sporting memorabilia for your brother, how about a signed, match worn shirt by Aaron Wan-Bissaka from yesterday’s game?”
I’ll have a word with Mike Phelan. Ps if anyone knows Mike Phelan, can you email me his mobile number.
Duncan Edwards has emailed in! “Think that may be a world record for Grealish in terms of shortest time between dives - and he’s not booked for either. Villa have been treated leniently by the ref and VAR. I’d say they could easily be down to nine men what with the blatant straight red and McGinn’s post-yellow infringements.”
Full-time: Aston Villa 1-4 Leicester City
Leicester are just too good for the likes of Villa nowadays. They have ripped them apart, aided by Vardy and Maddison being a cut above the Villa defence. They were slick going forward and strong at the back. The hosts, sadly, need a rethink and some new players if they are to stay up.
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90 mins: They’ve added three minutes on for no reason whatsoever.
89 mins: All over. Nothing to see here. Red Star Paris gear seems to be the post popular idea for my bro’s Xmas present, you’ll be pleased to know.
87 mins: McGinn goes to ground in the box after Pereira breathes on him. No idea why he would risk a second booking for that. The referee gives no penalty, as the away fans laugh at the midfielder.
There is a more credible claim for a penalty when Grealish falls to the floor after Pereira strokes his back. This is pathetic from Villa. Why bother?
Elsewhere: Newcastle 2-1 Southampton
85 mins: Surely there is plenty to this. If it was simple, someone would be able to combat it.
Everything is so basic about Leicester. It's like Harry Potter defeating superior wizards with "Expelliarmus!".
— Bruv (@Bourgy) December 8, 2019
83 mins: Everyone streaming out of Villa Park but I am still here, do not worry. The departees almost missed El Ghazi pulling one back but instead he toe poked it wide.
81 mins: Chilwell exits with Justin coming on. The England international has been suffering from a hip injury, so this is quite sensible.
There is a minute’s applause for Ron Saunders to celebrate his life, crowned by the 1981 league title.
79 mins: HEATON SAVES IT WITH HIS FACE!!! Maddison whips in the free-kick, Soyuncu flicks it towards goal but Heaton’s noggin’ blocks the ball much to the Turkey defender’s chagrin.
77 mins: Albrighton returns to Villa Park, replacing Praet.
Targett has hobbled off with his pride severely injured. Guilbert on.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-4 Leicester City (Vardy, 75)
Vardy really is in the form of his life. Praet lifts the ball over the top for Vardy to chase, control and then whack into the corner beyond Heaton. Some say Vardy’s game is a simple one but this Villa defence certainly do not know how to combat it. Now to think of wine.
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73 mins: Another chance to finish this game off and allow me to dream of evening wine. Pereira gets round the back, drives a cross to an awaiting Barnes but he is leaning back and flashes a shot well over.
71 mins: Villa really need to sign a striker in January. They can’t carry on with this lineup. I know they spent a lot on Wesley but really he is not going to score the goals to keep them up.
Pereira runs out of room when driving towards the byline and ends up on the floor five yards beyond the whitewash after contact with Grealish. There are brief appeals for a penalty but nothing is given.
69 mins: Leicester should be out of sight. Ndidi lifts a ball over the top, which Vardy naturally catches and then lays straight into the path of Maddison but the midfielder misdirects his shot from inside the area and it flies well wide.
Chilwell lifts a cross to the back post for Tielemans who is waiting unmarked at the back post but he volleys high into the stand.
Elsewhere: Shelvey has equalised for Newcastle.
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67 mins: JR asks: “If VAR is not going to give Targett a red card for that despicable leg breaker on Pereira what is VAR for? Mark it down as another VAR failure. I’ve lost count of how many there have been this season. Hopefully someone is keeping track.”
65 mins: El Ghazi whips a cross into the corridor of uncertainty which bounces along the six-yard line until Pereira whacks it away from danger. The cross really deserved more.
Iheanacho departs, with Barnes replacing him.
63 mins: The Villa physios have been very busy today. Now Engels is on the deck after getting one to the face from Iheanacho. There was nothing in it, to be honest.
61 mins: Villa chuck in a couple of crosses into the box but there is no one there who knows how to attack them. Am I missing something with Wesley? He just doesn’t seem very good. Villa are playing with a lot more intent, at least.
59 mins: Douglas Luiz beats Pereira to a loose ball on the left flank and gives him a little nudge in the back. Villa fail to do anything with the free-kick, though. McGinn is the latest to be booked for a rash challenge on Maddison.
Trezeguet comes on for Makamba.
Hugh Clarke goes off piste: “Elsewhere: Viking of Stavanger have won the Norwegian Cup Final for the first time since 2001, with a 1-0 win over Haugesund. Viking’s team includes Christian Thorstvedt, son of former Tottenham goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt.”
57 mins: The cloakroom is open for business.
@Will_Unwin Should have been a red card. I dare say for the rest of the match Matt has a Targett on his back. (I'll get my coat)
— Hubert O'Hearn (@BTBReviews) December 8, 2019
55 mins: Vardy is given space to drive into the box, Iheanacho darts to the front post but Konsa reads the run and gets to the ball first to clear the cross.
53 mins: I am becoming suspicious that this could end up five or six to Leicester. Villa seem to have lost the plot a little.
Elsewhere:
Norwich 1-2 Sheffield United
Newcastle 0-1 Southampton
51 mins: Targett goes into the book for a filthy challenge on Pereira. He catches him on the shin with his studs, surprisingly late. VAR checks it and sticks to the yellow. Hmmm ...
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-3 Leicester City (Evans, 49)
Leicester break once more on Villa, playing the ball from right to left as they move up the pitch. It ends up with Chilwell who lifts a cross into the box but Engels reads it and heads behind. The resulting corner is chipped by Maddison to Evans who heads it into the top corner from 10 yards unchallenged.
Updated
47 mins: Iheanacho has a shot within 20 seconds of play restarting but he drags it wide from 20 yards.
El Ghazi gets round the back of Chilwell and whacks a cross/shot which Schmeichel tips away.
Second half
Here we go again!
If anyone knows what random football memorabilia I should get my brother for Christmas, please let me know.
Elsewhere:
Newcastle 0-0 Southampton
Norwich 1-0 Sheffield
Peter Littley emails in to say: “Looks like Michael Oliver has been to the Mike Dean school of refereeing. Question, if Grealish throws himself into you 4 times, who gets the yellow card?”
Yellow cards for all!
Fitba!
Striker!
4 - Kelechi Iheanacho has scored in all four appearances for Leicester City this season, netting four goals - as many as he'd scored in his previous 42 matches for the club. Spark. pic.twitter.com/ORbhGdlrkM
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 8, 2019
Half-time! Aston Villa 1-2 Leicester City
I was about to write that Leicester were easing to victory against a poor Villa side but Grealish has set it up for a fine second half.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-2 Leicester City (Grealish, 45+2)
The ball bounces around in the box after a Villa corner, then Grealish runs onto the ball and curls the ball into the far corner from the left-hand side of the area. It is checked by VAR but is given.
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45 mins: Leicester are just keeping possession here. It looks like the final few minutes of FA Cup tie between a Premier League team and League One opposition.
Two minutes added on.
44 mins: More bad news for Villa, as Wesley is lying on the ground off the pitch with his head in his hands. He hasn’t done much, so a change of striker is not a major issue for Villa.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Leicester City (Iheanacho, 41)
Maddison drills in a cross from the left byline which Iheanacho volleys home after getting between two defenders, I think, but it may have come off Konsa. No one seems to know. I will give it to Iheanacho.
Updated
40 mins: A bit of anger erupts at Villa Park as Douglas Luiz is taken down belatedly after a shot from the edge of the area and then Grealish claims Schmeichel had turned the ball beyond for a corner but the referee disagrees on both counts.
38 mins: Konsa sends a very short backpass to Heaton but the goalkeeper rushes out to just beat Iheanacho to the ball and avoid catastrophe in the process.
Leicester break on Villa and Vardy would have been in if it wasn’t for a defender intercepting Maddison’s through ball.
Iheanacho goes into the book for a full-bloodied challenge on Targett. Spicy.
36 mins: Another defensive issue for Villa, as Targett goes down in a heap, complaining about a foot issue but he seems OK to continue.
Makamba goes into the book for a late challenge on Ndidi.
34 mins: Chilwell sends a cross over everyone and it is picked up on the opposite flank by Pereira, who is quickly flattened by Targett.
Elsewhere, Tettey has put Norwich 1-0 up against Sheffield United.
32 mins: Pereira takes down Douglas Luiz on the left touchline and the subsequent free-kick looks dangerous but is flicked clear by a defender.
Vardy once again gets the other side of the defence to catch a through ball, he drives into the box and looks to lay it off to an onrushing Iheanacho but Engels slides in to divert it back to Heaton, removing the danger in the process.
The players are flying to tackles now and with the pitch looking very slick due to the rain, this could be fun.
30 mins: Aston Villa seems very keen to get the ball to Grealish as often as possible but they are finding it tricky to do so. He seems to have drifted further to the left in order to find some space.
Updated
28 mins: Leicester are knocking it around and making Villa chase the ball around. Villa are holding on here and not much more. Can they ride out the storm?
Heaton runs 30 yards out of his goal to head clear a long kick from Schmeichel, which is the sort of thing I like to see.
26 mins: In response to Gary’s question in the last post: I am a huge Vardy fan; so few players nowadays make such an intelligent set of runs as Vardy, not to mention his ability to conserve his energy throughout, allowing to permanently be able to break through a defence.
24 mins: In even less surprising news than Vardy scoring, Mings finally calls it a day due to his hamstring issue. Did his injury help Vardy score? Probably.
El Ghazi almost levels things for Villa by heading Targett’s free-kick onto the top of the net.
Down the other end, Vardy goes through agains but gets the ball stuck under his feet when one-on-one with Heaton, allowing the defence to recover and clear.
Because of Jamie Vardy's err... jamievardyness, do we miss how smart a footballer he really is @Will_Unwin? This re-invention as forward who bides his time to conserve energy only to strike ruthlessly when the moment comes, is mighty impressive.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) December 8, 2019
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Leicester (Vardy, 21)
Brilliant comedy for a Sunday afternoon. Vardy makes a fine trough in between the two centre-backs, rounds the goalkeeper but then only flicks the ball towards goal, meaning it ends up trickling away from him and it looks like the chance has gone but then Konsa falls over, allowing Vardy to re-take control of the ball and fire it home from a few yards.
Updated
20 mins: I say Engels is coming on but the physios are still treating Mings in the hope defender’s hamstring is still working and can it inexplicably looks like he can carry on. Shows what I know about physiology.
18 mins: Mings’ hamstring now seems to have gone. What a miserable afternoon he’s had. I have the same issue in the cold weather. Engels to come on.
16 mins: Vardy is biding his time up top - he is yet to see much of the ball and is having to find different positions to normal as he is part of a front two, which is a rare treat for the former Fleetwood striker.
@Will_Unwin Remember how the big criticism of Brendan at Liverpool was that he 'couldn't sort out a defence'? Uh huh. Fewest goals allowed across the top four divisions even after selling his best centreback. What kind of sauce goes best with crow?
— Hubert O'Hearn (@BTBReviews) December 8, 2019
14 mins: Mings takes a poor touch and is tackled by Pereira on the edge of his own box, but the England defender ‘rectifies’ the problem by rugby tackling the full-back to the ground, picking up a booking in the process. Maddison hits the free-kick from the edge of the box but Heaton is there to punch it clear. Mings might come to regret that yellow card later.
Updated
12 mins: Villa hit the bar! Targett flashes a cross into the box from the byline, with El Gahzi waiting on the edge of the six-yard box but he can only direct the ball onto the bar with the goal gaping. They will struggle to get a better chance.
10 mins: A free-kick is limped into the box by Maddison, Soyuncu pulls it back for Evans but hits it straight at Heaton from a couple of yards.
Updated
8 mins: Hopefully the conditions will not impact on the quality of the match, as the players suffer from driving rain and plenty of wind. Elmohamady cuts through the defence, flashes a pass to Grealish who plays it to Douglas Luiz on the left but his cross is cut out by Evans.
6 mins: Aston Villa whip in a corner from the right which Schmeichel struggles to claim on two separate occasions but the referee takes sympathy on the ‘keeper and awards a free-kick.
It has just started to absolutely lash it down at Villa Park! Relentless rain.
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4 mins: Iheanacho drives into the box and slips in Maddison, who fires in a low shot form six yards which is blocked and then the ball is lifted to Vardy but he makes a poor connection on a volley and it bounces into Heaton’s arms.
2 mins: Leicester are playing a kit I would describe as charcoal grey. El Ghazi gets in down the right and fizzes in cross but it comes to nothing as Douglas Luiz takes down Evans when challenging for a loose ball.
Kick-off!
Peep! Peep! Peep! Let’s get ready to rumble!
There will be a minute’s applause before kick-off in honour of Saunders.
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There is a group of former Villa players on the pitch as the club prepare to pay tribute to Ron Saunders.
GOALS! GOALS! GOALS!
13 - Leicester have won their last three away league games by an aggregate score of 13-0. Only between October-December of their 2015-16 title winning season have they won four consecutive away games in the Premier League. Marker.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 8, 2019
Let’s all hope there is plenty of VAR today.
There are a couple of other 2pm kick-offs, with Newcastle hosting Southampton, while Norwich play Sheffield United. I will give you the odd update on those, too.
Jamie Vardy is top of the charts!
Sky Sports are currently showing a feature with Ben Chilwell and James Maddison chatting with Leicester City’s LGBT fan group, which is nice to see. The two players are speaking very openly, listening to the views of the fans and look very happy to learn.
Leicester will be eyeing a spot in the Champions League next season ...
I am trying to work out where Iheanacho will play. Will he be down the middle with Vardy coming in from flank? Will they be a front two with a diamond behind them? So many options.
Paul Doyle on Brendan Rodgers ...
Some sad news from Aston Villa yesterday.
The interesting news is that Brendan Rodgers has rewarded Kelechi Iheanacho for his cameo last weekend with a start today.
Starting lineups
Aston Villa: Heaton, Elmohamady, Konsa, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Nakamba, Douglas Luiz, El Ghazi, Welsey, Grealish.
Subs: Nyland, Lansbury, Hourihane, Trezeguet, Engels, Guilbert, Kodjia
Leicester: Schmeichel, Pereira, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell, Ndidi, Praet, Tielemans, Maddison, Iheanacho, Vardy.
Subs: Ward, Justin, Morgan, Gray, Albrighton, Barnes, Perez.
Preamble
Good afternoon!
Folk say Leicester City have been the surprise package of the season, as they sit second in the table and currently look like the only team capable of challenging Liverpool for the title but I am not shocked at all. The last time the Foxes won the Premier League it was, frankly, a bit of a fluke with everything going their way. Once again they are keeping pace at the top of the table and they look like they can maintain it until May.
Aston Villa are back in the big time but are likely to spend the season battling at the bottom of the table. They currently sit 17th, one point above the relegation zone. They have some interesting players with Wesley and Trezeguet promising plenty but are yet to look like the sort of attackers who will lead the club to safety but there is still time to bed them in. Jack Grealish, however, is the sort of player who can drag a team to the verge of safety. He has been their standout player for a few years now and is certainly doing the required business in the Premier League, as he recently proved at Old Trafford and he will be hopeful of doing similar today.
I am actually pretty excited by this one.
Kick-off 2pm (GMT)
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