Villa 2-4 Leicester: 3 important takeaways from derby victory

Ward’s reaction time was off with that Ollie Watkins’ goal. The Wales international was also not helped by Timothy Castagne’s delayed covering run. Both of them could and should have done better.

Towards the last 10 minutes, Aston Villa center-backs made their constant presence felt within the visitor’s box. Switching to a back-five towards the end, with Çağlar Söyüncü as the third man, showed how Rodgers was still not convinced. There were visible doubts in his team’s defense to see it through to the finish line.

New signings impress

Leicester City’s new addition Harry Souttar carries all the markings of a younger Harry Maguire. He has all the potential to improve the Foxes’ backline. Flashes of brilliance got noticed today when he made a challenge, using his unique stature, to block off a swift Villa shot. The Australian would still be frustrated with his debut, having helped Villa to score their second with an unfortunate deflection.

Kristiansen has impressed us more with his wing-back role, often playing a critical part in the final third. It shows that the investments made during the January transfer window were an immediate necessity.