LEICESTER:
Aston Villa returned to winning ways in the Premier League as goals by Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran wrapped up a 2-1 victory at Leicester City on Saturday but they were made to sweat late on.
Summer signing Onana touched in from close range after a clever free kick routine in the 28th minute.
Hosts Leicester, seeking their first win since promotion back to the top flight, were more of a threat in the second half but Duran’s 63rd-minute header appeared to have killed them off.
They were handed a lifeline when Facundo Buonanotte slotted in a shot 10 minutes later, but they could not salvage a point despite some late pressure and shouts for penalties.
Villa, who were beaten by Arsenal last weekend, have six points from three games with Leicester on one.
Steve Cooper is now the first Leicester manager since Paulo Sousa in August 2010 to fail to win any of their first three league games in charge and he could have few real complaints as his side showed Villa too much respect in the first half.
Cooper, however, felt his team were hard done by.
“We definitely didn’t deserve to lose the game,” he said. “We’ve not just gone toe-to-toe with a Champions League team and looked a better team than them. It’s a tough one to take. “It’s three games now without a win, which is obviously not what we wanted.”
Villa were comfortably the better side before the break although manager Unai Emery will be concerned about the lack of sharpness of Ollie Watkins who again wasted some good chances and was substituted in the second half.
“Ollie didn’t score but I’m happy with him. This is the way. He’s playing very well,” the Spaniard said.
Watkins was denied by Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen in the first period but was involved in Villa’s opener.
A free kick of the edge of the area looked like being a shot at goal by former Leicester player Youri Tielemans but instead he struck the ball low to Watkins who had peeled off the defensive wall and the England forward then slid the ball across the area for Onana to stretch out a leg and poke home.
The closest Leicester came to an equaliser in the first half was a bundled effort by Caleb Okoli that almost surprised Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez.
Leicester were better after the break and had the ball in the net when Oliver Skipp crossed for Jamie Vardy to steer in a shot but the referee David Coote had already blown the whistle after he played an inadvertent part in the build-up.
Duran’s beautifully guided header from Lucas Digne’s cross doubled Villa’s lead but when substitute Buonanotte struck for the hosts it set some nerves jangling in the visitors’ ranks.
Vardy twice went down looking for penalties but was rightly not rewarded despite the howls of protest around the ground.
Cooper was critical of the standard of refereeing, not just with the turned down penalties but also with the award of the free kick that led to Villa’s opening goal.
“We know where the level of refereeing is now. We’ve known for a number of years. We just need to take a step back and say ‘this is how it is’,” Cooper said.
