Leicester City 4-0 Aston Villa: Major talking points

Wilfred Ndidi instantly makes the midfield tick

If Jamie Vardy’s is a case of mental upliftment, Wilfred Ndidi is more a case of footballing upliftment. Since he sat down on the sidelines, Leicester couldn’t catch a break. They won none of their four league games in the Nigerian’s absence, and to be very honest, they were horrific in the middle of the park.

The silk and skills of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans et al are all fun and games but without the steel of Ndidi, they are a bit of a waste. Reason? No one likes doing the dirty work as much as the 23-year old does. By no means was he at the level that he generally is the other night and even so, he managed to make a difference. As for what can he do at his peak, we all know that pretty well.

He made four tackles, three interceptions, two clearances and completed 50 of his 59 passes. Put precisely, he was all over the game. No wonder Rodgers was happy to admit that his side are better with Ndidi in it.

"“I’m not surprised, no. We know we are a better team with him in it, there’s no question,” the Leicester boss said ahead of the fixture against Aston Villa. “We’ve got some other really good players in our squad who can come in and do a job, but when you’re without one of the best players in that position in the league, he’s always going to be a miss."