<figure id="attachment_2953451" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2953451" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/577fffef-aston-villa-leon-bailey-05012025.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" class="size-full wp-image-2953451" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2953451" class="wp-caption-text">Leon Bailey secured the three points with a neat finish from Ian Maatsen&#8217;s short pass in the 76th minute, his first league goal this season. (EPA Images pic)</figcaption></figure>
BIRMINGHAM: Leon Bailey scored the winner in Aston Villa&#8217;s 2-1 Premier League victory over Leicester City, after Stephy Mavididi&#8217;s equaliser had cancelled out Ross Barkley&#8217;s strike in an action-packed second half on Saturday.
Leicester, who contained Villa&#8217;s attack effectively in the first half, suffered their fifth loss in a row to remain 19th in the table, while eighth-placed Villa got their first win in three matches to move to 32 points, three points below the top five.
&#8220;Leicester were well organised. They look a lot better a side now, the manager has them well drilled but I am happy our team has come away with the three points,&#8221; Barkley said after netting his third league goal of the season.
Barkley, starting a league match for the third time this season, hammered home from outside the box in the 58th minute when an attempt to keep out Youri Tielemans&#8217;s shot from the left reached him.
The visitors struck back five minutes later when Emiliano Martinez&#8217;s save to deny Jamie Vardy fell to Mavididi who made no mistake from close range.
Bailey secured the three points for the hosts with a neat finish from Ian Maatsen&#8217;s short pass in the 76th minute, his first league goal this season.
&#8220;I’m very happy&#8230; we are trying to start the second part of this season motivated with the points we are achieving,&#8221; Villa manager Unai Emery said after his side extended their unbeaten home run to nine league matches.
Villa almost went ahead in the 14th minute when Matty Cash&#8217;s cross from the right found Ollie Watkins in the box but Conor Coady&#8217;s swift deflection cleared it for a corner.
The hosts lost midfielder John McGinn to injury five minutes later as Leicester sat back in their own half to defend while Villa dominated possession but struggled to create chances.
Villa&#8217;s first shot on target came in added time before the break, as Cash&#8217;s effort from outside the box was kept out by a diving Jakub Stolarczyk.
&#8220;Decent performance but through our own mistakes we let in the two goals,&#8221; Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy said.
Leicester&#8217;s failure to keep a clean sheet for the 13th league game in a row maintained their record of having the league&#8217;s joint most porous defence, after conceding 44 goals in 20 matches, the same as bottom side Southampton.
Leicester host Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup third round next Saturday and Villa face West Ham United on Friday.

MatchPoint Times

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