Postscript
That was amazing! Aston Villa looked in control after two delightful goals from Jack and Gil (sorry!) but Leicester never quit and, inspired by the incredible Riyad Mahrez, they reeled Villa in, who lost their way when Tim Sherwood replaced Gil and Agbonlahor with Ayew and Gestede, leaving Grealish in a three-man midfield that was asking to be punished.
So Claudio Ranieri’s team seal an unlikely three points thanks to substitute Nathan Dyer’s last minute winner after Richie de Laet and Jamie Vardy started the comeback. Along with Man City, they remain unbeaten five games in and only Manuel Pellegrini’s side are above them in the table. We need to catch our breath after that. Thanks for reading! Bye!
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FULL-TIME! Leicester 3-2 Aston Villa
90 min +6: Villa pump a ball forward and they win a corner but Mike Dean does not allow them to take it and the whistle goes. Leicester go second after a stunning comeback.
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90 min + 5: In to the final minute and Leicester have a throw-in and Villa are being pegged back. The King Power is hopping with excitement!
90 min +5: Mahrez jigs forward again but shoots across goal and wide. He has been so, so good in this second half.
90 min +3: Villa look stunned. Leicester continue to come at them, although Vardy is flagged for offside after Ulloa picked him out. The home fans are singing “Two nil up and you swear word.” Leicester are about to go second in the table!
90 min +2: Six minutes have been added on!
90 min +1: We haven’t seen how many minutes are to be added on but Dyer is back on after his moment of glory and pain. Leicester have the ball and run it towards the corner.
GOAL! Leicester 3-2 Aston Villa (Dyer)
89 min: Mahrez floats a ball over the top. Guzan comes out to claim it but Dyer is there to get his head to the ball first … and it trickles its way in to the net. Dyer is down hurt and receiving treatment but it’s well worth it for a late winner. What a second half!
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88 min: Gestede wins a free-kick on halfway. That’ll kill some precious seconds for Villa.
86 min: This is end to end, seat of the pants stuff now. Dyer is fouled cynically by Bacuna on the left. And that’s the defender’s last act, Alan Hutton makes his way on to a chorus of boos – having had a kerfuffle with Paul Konchesky last season. When the substitution is completed, the free-kick is delivered teasingly. Guzan parries initially but smothers the ball at the second time of asking.
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84 min: Now Villa go back on the attack. Grealish is crowded out on the right and can only find Sánchez behind him. He is pickpocketed embarrassingly and Vardy rampages forward. He gives it to Mahrez who tries to curl past Guzan from 25 yards. The Villa keeper makes a terrific save.
GOAL! Leicester 2-2 Aston Villa (Vardy)
82 min: Amazing. Mahrez turns on halfway and picks out Drinkwater on the right of the box. He sends a low cross in, where Vardy gets between two Villa defenders to slide in and find the net. Wow!
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81 min: Another Leicester free, wide on the right after Amavi mis-times a tackle on De Laet. Amavi is booked. It’s only half-cleared to Mahrez, who goes at Amavi again – and the left-back concedes another foul. Mahrez rolls embarrassingly along the wing but escapes a second yellow.
80 min: Mahrez tries to be clever and backheels the free-kick to Drinkwater. His low drive cannons off the wall.
79 min: Dyer wins a free-kick in a great position a little more than 20 yards out after being tugged back by Westwood who was caught napping when the Leicester player ran in front of him.
77 min: Vardy so close to the equaliser. Mahrez slips him in after Sánchez loses it. However Richards is across again to distract the England striker and his effort finds the side netting.
75 min: Rudy Gestede is on for Villa, replacing Agbonlahor.
GOAL! Leicester 1-2 Aston Villa (De Laet)
72 min: Goal-line technology is needed but De Laet’s effort has crossed the white and we have an explosive finale in front of us! Westwood was on the line in an attempt to head clear but the replays show the ball has crossed and Dean’s watch indicates he can give the goal. It came from a Mahrez corner on the left.
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70 min: Vardy goes down under pressure from Bacuna inside the box. Leicester shout desperately for a penalty but Mike Dean is having none of it. Both players square up to each other. It’s a coming together but Bacuna did not deliberately attempt to foul him.
67 min: That has really knocked the stuffing out of Leicester, who had looked close to equalising. Ulloa’s first act is a header high and wide.
66 min: That was Gil’s last act. He is replaced by Ayew.
65 min: Kanté and Ulloa have come on, for Albrighton and Inler.
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GOAL! Leicester 0-2 Aston Villa (Gil)
63 min: That’s all it takes. A classic counter-attack with an amazing finish from Gil. Agbonlahor flies down the left in to space and picks out Gil on the edge of the area. He sizes it up and bends a beauty with his left home. Again, no chance for Schmiechel.
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62 min: Schlupp crosses deep from the left to Albrighton. He nods it down to Mahrez, but his shot is blocked. It is now all Leicester. Villa need to find a way out before they are suitably punished.
60 min: Kanté and Ulloa are both preparing to come on for Leicester.
58 min: Leicester continuing to push but Richards and Lescott have been quite impressive at centre-half. Inler has not been great in midfield for Leicester – showing some rust.
55 min: They will not draw level if Danny Drinkwater keeps overhitting crosses from the left, mind.
53 min: Mahrez cuts in and has a go, winning a corner. That’s taken towards Morgan, who is marked by Richards this time instead of Amavi, and the visitors escape.
51 min: Grealish loses possession to De Laet, setting Vardy away but he is again hauled back by the quick Richards. He appears to pass the ball back to Guzan, who picks it up, but nothing is made of it by Mike Dean.
49 min: The hosts have definitely upped a gear now. Schlupp from range shoots wide but it’s been encouraging for Ranieri since half-time.
48 min: Good chance for Leicester! Schlupp gets past Bacuna and Gil far too easily on the left and finds Vardy who tries to flick in from the near post but can only hit the side-netting.
Restarted!
46 min: Leicester get us going. How can they respond? Nathan Dyer, on loan from Swansea, has replaced Okazaki.
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Half-time! Leicester 0-1 Aston Villa
That’s the half. Grealish’s tasty finish separates them. He’s grinning with delight as the players head down the tunnel.
Email from JR:
I haven’t seen a whole lot of Leicester this season but watching this has me wondering where the team I have heard so much about was because as near as I can tell they stink.
They have been below par here, certainly, but it’s unfair to say they stink on the back of one half. Watch the West Ham highlights, for instance, to see how impressive they can be going forward.
Email from Tom Harp:
I’ve been waiting to see you say something about the dust-up between Grealish & Sanchez during the injury break for Gil. Having a break of your own? ;-) I didn’t see Sanchez joining in the goal celebrations...
They exchanged words after Grealish scuffed an earlier attempt but you seem to have missed they put an arm around each other when heading to the dugout for a drink. Big deal. It was hardly Bowyer v Dyer.
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45 min +2: Mahrez tries to find joy down the right but Lescott, who has been terrific next to Richards, takes the ball from him and clears any sign of danger.
45 min: Albrighton booked for taking down Gil near halfway. There will be three minutes added on.
43 min: Inler feeds Mahrez who dances around the edge of the area, at one point turning so swiftly THREE Villa defenders slipped. In the end he cannot get a shot away, so sends it to his left where Albrighton curls first time towards Okazaki but the ball runs out for a goal-kick.
Westwood sends in a corner from the right. There is some ping pong but Leicester can only clear as far as Grealish. He curls an exquisite attempt with his right boot in to the right corner through a crowd of players, giving Schmeichel no chance. A beautiful hit. Now, how can Leicester respond?
GOAL! Leicester 0-1 Aston Villa (Grealish!)
39 min: It worked. Jack Grealish has scored his first senior goal for Aston Villa.
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37 min: Gooooooa … nah, just kidding. I’ve jinxed it by saying this game was entertaining. Since then it has been a big grey pile of nothingness. Maybe this will have a reverse impact. I hope.
34 min: Things are, however, beginning to slow down. Villa have spent the past minute passing it around the back without Leicester putting them under too much pressure.
32 min: Grealish dances past four blue shirts but near the D fails to connect cleanly with another right-footed shot and it’s blocked. Villa come straight back at the hosts, Bacuna fizzing a cross in. It’s cleared.
30 min: Yes, it’s scoreless but this has been more entertaining than most Premier League games so far this weekend. When was there a weekend featuring so many dull fixtures? Even the four goals at Old Trafford could not paper over that awful opening half.
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28 min: Vardy tries to run off Richards but the defender is as quick and covers well.
24 min: Gil robs a dithering Schlupp on halfway and zooms clear of the retreating Leicester left-back. Gil cuts in from the right and plays a low pass to Grealish. The youngster, unmarked, really should do better than curl a feeble right-footed effort low and in to the arms of the kneeling Schmeichel.
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22 min: Schlupp convincingly skips past Bacuna but cannot pull the ball back to a blue shirt from the endline.
19 min: Signs that Villa are getting on top now. Leicester are struggling to track Grealish, who appears to be relishing the roaming role. Amavi is also doing well when he’s advancing forward.
18 min: Grealish sets Sinclair loose on the left after drawing in Huth but Sinclair’s cross cannot find a team-mate and Schmeichel fists clear for a throw-in.
16 min: Westwood puts in another Villa corner, towards Richards, who is quite far out. And Leicester clear it up. Okazaki breaks but Lescott covers well and cynically but cleverly fouls him near halfway, escaping the game’s first booking too.
14 min: Mahrez, in such sensational form, is fed by Vardy after Lescott scrappily concedes possession. However the wing man can only fire straight at Guzan with a left-footed attempt from the area’s edge.
13 min: Grealish overlaps Agbonlahor, almost runs it out of play but deftly turns before sending a slightly overhit cross. Goal-kick.
9 min: Albrighton floats a free in from the left flank. Morgan uses his weight to hold off Amavi but heads over. Lively start, this!
8 min: Big chance for Villa. Huth fails to clear a throw-in, allowing Agbonlahor to race towards goal. He squares to the onrushing Sinclair but under pressure from Schlupp and at an obscenely tight angle he can only find the side netting.
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7 min: It’s pumped towards Sánchez on the edge of the area, who heads downwards and away from goal. Gil lines up a shot but scuffs it and drags it tamely wide.
6 min: Villa settle it down and play it across the back before Amavi threads to Westwood. He then tries to find Agbonlahor’s diagonal run. Morgan is across to cut it out and concedes a corner. Westwood takes it to the back-post, it hits a blue shirt and he will have a second chance from the opposite side.
3 min: Promising start from the hosts who have Villa pinned back in their own third. A poor clearance is collected by Drinkwater. He spots Guzan scrambling back to his line and attempts an audacious floater than lands on the roof of the net.
1 min: Forty seconds for Lescott to make his first impact in a Villa shirt: clattering Okazaki after the attacker zoomed down the right after putting the ball out for a throw. He’s ok and dusts himself off.
Go!
We are underway, Villa centring, playing from right to left as we watch it. Both sides in their first strips.
Niall Quinn, on TV, reckons it is “a day for heroes”. Yep, this is a Premier League game in early September.
A somewhat kneejerk email from Philip Podolsky:
All that TV money and a title race that - let’s get real for a moment here - has already been decided. At least we’ll always have the relegation battle where Villa are a major player.
Tim Sherwood speaks to Sky about Lescott making his debut: “We’ve got diligent defenders to stop Leicester today. [Joleon] has great experience, one we’re pleased to have at the club. A result today will put us on par but it’s going to be a slow burner because there are so many new players … we won’t get carried away.”
Claudio Ranieri speaks to Sky: “I think Inler is ready to play in the Premier League, I hope he can give a good impression. Last match against England [for Switzerland], he played very, very well. I’m very curious to see how we restart [after the international break]. Two days is not so good to prepare for a match against Aston Villa, but we are ready. I hope it’s a very good match for the fans.
The cast!
Leicester: Schmeichel; De Laet, Huth, Morgan, Schlupp; Albrighton, Drinkwater, Inler, Mahrez; Okazaki, Vardy. Subs: King, Kanté, Simpson, Kramaric, Ulloa, Dyer, Schwarzer.
Aston Villa: Guzan; Bacuna, Richards, Lescott, Amavi; Sánchez, Westwood, Gil; Grealish, Sinclair; Agbonlahor. Subs: Clark, Veretout, Richardson, Ayew, Hutton, Bunn, Gestede.
Referee: Mr M Dean (from the Wirral)
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Preamble
Hi. How are you? Good. Let’s get down to business. This should be a feisty Midlands Derby, difficult to predict and sure to be close. They met three times last season, each time the home side won by a single goal – the Foxes triumphing 1-0 at home, Villa winning 2-1 on their own turf in the league and FA Cup. Expect more of the same here, despite different starts to the campaign.
Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester are the only unbeaten team apart from Manchester City and victory here would send them second, a point clear off Manchester United and Arsenal. Villa started the season with a win but have earned only a point since with Tim Sherwood’s new signings still looking to gel. While Ranieri has added to his squad – Gökhan Inler, N’Golo Kanté both potentially terrific additions to midfield, while Shinji Okazaki has made a good start – there is a far more settled look to their team and coupled with home advantage, that might give them a slight edge here. Riyad Mahrez is a slight doubt with back knack but he has started the campaign on fire, scoring four goals. Scott Sinclair, rolling down the path to redemption, leads Villa’s scoring charts with two.
Confirmed team news to follow shortly but while we wait, here are the predicted team’s from yesterday’s Guardian.
Leicester City
Subs from Schwarzer, Maddison, Simpson, Wasilewski, Fuchs, Benalouane, Chilwell, Hammond, James, King, Inler, Dodoo, Okazaki
Doubtful Mahrez (back) Injured James (knee, Feb 16)
Suspended None Form WWDD
Discipline Y8 R0 Leading scorer Mahrez 4
Aston Villa
Subs from Bunn, Steer, Ilori, Cole, Agbonlahor, Senderos, Lescott, Kozak, Richardson, Hutton, Ayew, Gil, N’Zogbia
Doubtful Grealish (ankle), Gueye (hamstring), Agbonlahor (illness), Traoré (calf)
Injured Crespo (groin, 19 Sept), Gardner (ankle, 26 Sept), Okore (knee, 24 Oct)
Suspended None Form WLLD
Discipline Y10 R0 Leading scorer Sinclair 2
Pre-match music
… making you think it’s 2002 again.
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