Leicester 1-2 Aston Villa: 10-man Foxes stay rooted in relegation zone

Leicester 1-2 Aston Villa: 10-man Foxes stay rooted in the relegation zone as super sub Bertrand Traore nets winner just two minutes after coming on to send Unai Emery’s side up to seventh

• Leicester pulled back an equaliser after Villa went ahead in the first half
• But a red card for Dewsbury-Hall sent momentum swinging Villa’s way
• RECAP: Relegation dogfight heats up as Leicester fail to battle past Villa 

Changing a manager does not mean anything if the players they are paid to coach continue to make basic errors.

And unless Leicester City stop doing so, they are heading for the Championship.

In their first game after sacking Brendan Rodgers, the home side were reduced to 10 men when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was sent off but were clinging on for a point when Wilfred Ndidi passed the ball straight to Bertrand Traore.

The Aston Villa substitute’s finish was outstanding, a curling left-foot effort from 20 yards, but he should never have been given the chance to deliver it. The Foxes thought they had got out of jail in stoppage time when a penalty was awarded but then overturned following a collision between Ollie Watkins and Patson Daka.

Watkins had given Villa a first-half lead but Harvey Barnes equalised brilliantly and despite Dewsbury-Hall’s second yellow, that looked to be enough until Traore’s late effort.

Bertrand Traore was only on the pitch for just over two minutes before his coolheaded goal

Villa had long been pushing to break the deadlock and their win on the road sends them shooting to 7th

Now Leicester face fixtures against fellow strugglers Bournemouth, Leeds, Wolves and Everton in their next five games. Caretaker bosses Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell know more howlers like these will cost them dearly.

How Leicester must wish they could hire a manager like Unai Emery. When the Spaniard was appointed last autumn, Villa were heading for the drop. Now they have their sights on European football.

In front of chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who flew to the UK following Rodgers’ sacking, Leicester tried to get the crowd going early on. Vardy put in a strong tackle on Ezri Konsa that was met with a huge roar, even though it resulted only in a goal-kick.

Whereas under Rodgers the team were required to build from the back, they adopted a more direct approach here. One long pass from Wout Faes played Harvey Barnes into space and from another lofted ball, James Maddison exchanged passes with Barnes but there was nobody in a position to meet his cross.

Leicester should have taken the lead in the 19th minute. Maddison’s deep corner found Harry Souttar alone at the far post and the centre-back should have done far better than head against the outside of the post.

As often happens to struggling teams, Villa’s first dangerous attack brought a goal. Douglas Luiz found Emi Buendia in too much space in the middle and when he released Watkins, the in-form forward held off Faes and Timothy Castagne before guiding the ball into the corner just before he lost his balance.

It was an outstanding finish from a striker growing in confidence, and immediately it drained Leicester’s. Before the restart, Vardy exchanged angry words with Wilfred Ndidi and Nampalys Mendy and Villa then enjoyed their best spell of the half. The crowd were growing edgier as they feared a repeat of so many home games this term.

Ollie Watkins scored his sixth consecutive goal on the road  to send Villa ahead in Leicester

But Harvey Barnes provided a riposte later on in the first half with a well-worked goal

Defender Wout Faes was instrumental in setting up Leicester hard-fought equaliser

Just when Leicester needed it, Barnes produced a masterpiece. The winger controlled Faes long ball brilliantly on the run, held off Ashley Young and guided his angled effort in off Emi Martinez’s left post.

Even though Vardy is not the force of old, he still makes defenders wary, and was close to getting his head to Barnes’ cross at the start of the second half.

Barnes was the big threat but Leicester were struggling to feed him as much as they had in the first half. The home side were content to let Villa have the majority of the ball as they sat deep, always a dangerous ploy with technicians like Buendia in opposing line-up.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s second yellow spelled disaster for the struggling side

Villa all but sealed the win in the 87th minute as the Foxes were forced into game management

A late penalty call was overturned at the last and Leicester’s hopes of a point were squashed

Villa’s form under Unai Emery has been terrific and thoughts might begin to drift to Europe

The umpteenth clever pass from the Argentine sent Alex Moreno charging into the box but with team-mates queuing up, the full-back thumped the ball against the outside of the post – a big waste.

Leicester were well in the game but suffered a huge blow when Dewsbury-Hall was sent off for his second yellow card – both for fouls on Young.

The second looked a little harsh and left Leicester facing a tough final period, but they dug in only to be let down by Ndidi’s baffling error.

Not even referee Graham Scott could give them a lifeline after he reversed his spot-kick decision following a look at the monitor. The margins will be similarly tight for Leicester until the end of the season.

Managerless Leicester’s hunt for a win rolls on as the beleaguered club stays stuck at 19th

LEICESTER 1-2 ASTON VILLA: MATCH FACTS 

Leicester: Iversen, Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Kristiansen, Mendy, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall, Maddison (Pereira 85), Vardy (Daka 76), Barnes 

Substitutes: Ward, Ihenacho, Amartey, Praet, Thomas, Tete, Soumare

Goals: Barnes (35)

Cards: Castagne, Faes, Dewsbury-Hall (red card)

Aston Villa: Martinez, Young (Chambers 85), Konsa, Mings, Moreno (Digne 85), Ramsey (Duran 79), McGinn, Luiz, Buendia, Bailey (Traore 85), Watkins 

Substitutes: Santos Silva, Olsen, Dendoncker, Sinisalo, Revan

Goals: Watkins (24), Traore (87) 

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