Leon Bailey of Aston Villa Leon Bailey of Aston Villa Aston Villa returned to winning ways in the Premier League as Leon Bailey’s late strike earned them a 2-1 victory over visitors Leicester City at Villa Park. (More Football News)
The Jamaica international scored in the 76th minute, restoring Villa’s lead after Stephy Mavididi’s equaliser, as he turned in the all-important goal from an Ian Maatsen cross.
After a cagey first half with few chances, the game finally opened up after the break, with Ross Barkley volleying home the opener for Villa just before the hour mark.
Mavididi, who had missed a gilt-edged chance to put Leicester in front soon after the restart, made amends as he fired in the equaliser five minutes later, but the Foxes could not find a second response after Bailey’s goal.
The defeat sees Leicester stay 19th with 14 points, two behind Wolverhampton Wanderers in 17th, while Unai Emery's Villa move up to eighth on 32 points.
to kickstart 2025 #AVLLEI #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/K4arKmWJo5
"I am happy that I have been appointed to lead the team. It is a big responsibility and I am looking forward to this new role. We have a strong squad and it's a mix of experienced and young players," Salima was quoted as saying in a Hockey India press release.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 4, 2025Data Debrief: Bailey ends goal drought
Bailey scored his first goal of the season to hand Villa a much-needed win - after a 3-0 defeat by Newcastle United and conceding a late draw against Brighton in their most recent games.
It ended a run of 19 Premier League appearances without a goal for the 27-year-old and marked his first goal since April against Bournemouth.
Only Ollie Watkins (44) has more Premier League goal involvements for Villa since the start of last season than Bailey, who has scored 11 goals and created 11 assists.
While Villa completed their first league double over Leicester since the 2003-04 seasonssbet77, the Foxes have now lost five league games in a row for the first time since September 2022 and have kept just a single clean sheet in their last 21 matches.