Leicester City have been one of the hottest teams in the English Premier League in recent weeks, and they entered Sunday’s match against Aston Villa on the heels of an eight-game winning streak in all competitions. They made sure to extend that run, as they had little to no problems to defeat Villa by a convincing 4-1 score away from home.
Jamie Vardy netted a brace for The Foxes, and both Kelechi Iheanacho and Jonny Evans found the back of the net as well. Jack Grealish scored an stoppage-time goal for Villa during the first half, but that wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.
Leicester looked dominant right from the start, pressing high on the pitch and not giving Villa an inch of space to operate out of the back. Eventually that strategy would pay off, as The Foxes only needed 20 minutes to score the opening goal. An impressive through ball from Iheanacho found Vardy, and the former England international left Tom Heaton behind, got past a defender and slotted it home from close range.
Leicester would double their tally 21 minutes later, as Iheanacho – who was unstoppable during the first half – bagged his goal here. James Maddison sent a cross from the left wing and Iheanacho moved quicker than everyone else on the box to place the ball into the back of the net. Villa would show signs of reaction, however, and they pulled one back when Grealish defeated Kasper Schmeichel with a shot from outside the box.
Evans, Vardy seal the deal for The Foxes
The first half ended 2-1 for Leicester and one would have thought Villa would aim to even things up quickly after the break. However, Leicester only needed four minutes to add a third goal and essentially ice the contest out. Maddison was once again on the build-up – this time, his corner kick delivery found Jonny Evans. The former Manchester United defender nodded the ball home with a towering header.
Leicester closed things out in the 75th minute. A long pass from Dennis Praet found Vardy who, running behind the defence once again, faced Heaton one-on-one and placed the ball out of his reach with a composed finish. This brace allowed Vardy to extend his lead as the league’s top scorer. He now has 16 goals in 16 Premier League appearances, including 11 in his last eight.
Villa did what they could, but Leicester was simply too much for them to handle. The Foxes won this match deservedly and once again showed they are the lone team who can keep Liverpool’s pace in the EPL title race.
Match Report
Aston Villa: Tom Heaton (4); Ahmed El-Mohamady (5), Erzi Konsa (6), Tyrone Mings (5) (Björn Engels (4), 23’), Matt Targett (5) (Frédéric Guilbert (-), 78’); Marvelous Nakamba (4) (Trezeguet (5), 59’); Anwar El Ghazi (6), John McGinn (5), Douglas Luiz (5), Jack Grealish (7); Wesley (4)
Subs not used: Ørjan Nyland (GK), Conor Hourihane, Henri Lansbury, Jonathan Kodija
Leicester City: Kasper Schmeichel (5); Ricardo Pereira (6), Jonny Evans (7), Caylar Söyüncü (6), Ben Chilwell (5) (James Justin (-), 80’); Dennis Praet (6) (Marc Albrighton (-), 77’), Wilfred Ndidi (6), Youri Tielemans (6); James Maddison (8); Jamie Vardy (8), Kelechi Iheanacho (7) (Harvey Barnes (5), 64’)
Subs not used: Danny Ward (GK), Wes Morgan, Demarai Gray, Ayoze Perez
Goals: Vardy (0-1, 20’), Iheanacho (0-2, 41’), Grealish (1-2, 45+2’), Evans (1-3, 49’), Vardy (1-4, 75’)
Referee: Michael Oliver
Yellow Cards: Mings, Nakamba, Wesley, Targett, McGinn, Grealish (AV); Iheanacho, Ricardo Pereira (LEI)
Red Cards: None
Venue: Villa Park
Attendance: 41,908
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