Leicester City’s losing streak continued into 2025 as Leon Bailey’s winner for Aston Villa consigned them to a fifth straight defeat.

City had looked capable of claiming a point when they quickly responded to Ross Barkley’s opener with an equaliser through Stephy Mavididi. But Villa pressed to get back in front and found a goal through Bailey 15 minutes from time.

The performance was again, better than the average produced by City this season, but it’s another game without points. They remain 19th in the table, with the potential for the gap to safety to grow when Ipswich and Wolves play over the remainder of the weekend.

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Ruud van Nistelrooy made two changes for the fixture, one enforced. Victor Kristiansen was ruled out through illness and so the City manager changed his back four for the first time in his tenure, Luke Thomas coming in at left-back.

The second change saw Jordan Ayew, available again after suspension, replace Facundo Buonanotte. It felt like a defensive switch, and indeed, the first half at Villa Park was short on goalmouth action.

There were just four shots in the first 45 minutes, with three for the hosts. Their first opportunity required Conor Coady to come to the rescue, diving in to block Ollie Watkins’ first-time shot. On the stroke of the interval, City needed goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk to parry away Matty Cash’s long-range drive.

As for their own attacks, City only had one sight of goal, Bilal El Khannouss blazing over from 20 yards. But the lack of goalmouth action will have concerned Villa more than it did City.

A strong defensive showing was what City have been craving and they were keeping Villa at arm’s length. Plus, on the ball, they were showing much of the composure in the defensive and middle thirds that saw them play so well against Man City.

And at the start of the second half, they got their chance. Harry Winks’ cross was missed by everybody and allowed El Khannouss to tee up Mavididi. But even with Emi Martinez slightly out of position, he managed to shank his shot well wide.

That livened Villa up and within 10 minutes, the Mavididi miss was punished. City were struggling to relieve themselves of the pressure Villa were putting on and Jannik Vestergaard, excellent to that point, only headed clear a cross to Barkley on the edge of the area. His crisp strike from 20 yards flew past Stolarczyk, who was perhaps unsighted by Vestergaard.

But within five minutes, City were level, and it was Mavididi making amends. Ayew surged down the right and Jamie Vardy’s near-post run saw him flick at goal, Martinez saving. But Mavididi had kept up in support and prodded through Matty Cash’s legs to find the net.

But City sat on the 1-1 scoreline and they let the Villa pressure build again. When they finally used that pressure to create a chance, they restored their lead. James Justin’s pass to Ayew was robbed by Ian Maatsen, who stormed into the box and teed up Bailey to tap in his first of the season.

City chased another equaliser, but with the game stretched, it only gifted more chances to Villa, who should have scored a third. After Bailey slammed against the bar, Watkins somehow turned over.

It was a reprieve for City, but not one they could take advantage of. They threw men forward, but to no avail. Here’s how we scored the players.

Jakub Stolarczyk: He was calm throughout on the ball, clipping passes to the wings, while with his hands he made a strong save to deny Cash in the first half and came for corners too. For the first goal, he perhaps didn’t get down quickly enough, but he may have been unsighted too. 6

James Justin: His link-up with Ayew was actually reasonably good, but that connection disappeared for the Villa winner. Defensively, he was fine if not superb, while his crossing was poor when he get into those positions. 5

Conor Coady: He read play well and shut down Watkins for much of the match, staying tight enough to block the England striker’s first-half shot. Again, he didn’t really do a lot wrong. 7

Jannik Vestergaard: For the first 55 minutes, he was excellent as he weaved out of pressure with great footwork, pinged forward crisp passes, and got his positioning right to clear low crosses. But the header for the Barkley goal was poor, even if there was a lack of support from midfielders. 7

Luke Thomas: For much of the game, he was really solid. He kept tight to Bailey and did all of the basics right, and was only really exposed when the game became stretched late on. On the ball, he wasn’t particularly adventurous but he was tidy. And actually, when he did try to be more ambitious, his passes usually came off. 7

Harry Winks: He was great under pressure in the early stages and moved the ball well. He certainly gave City a calmness. But his influence on the game waned and City looked noticeably poorer when it did. 6

Boubakary Soumare: He made a slow start but warmed up after 20 minutes and was really good for the remainder of the first half, intercepting, bursting forward and passing into dangerous positions. But he went missing in the second half. 6

Jordan Ayew: He kept hold of the ball well and was an outlet for the team for a lot of the match, while the Mavididi goal was all down to his work on the right. It was a great run and a good cross too. But he has to be sharper and more alert for the Villa winner. It’s a costly mistake. 6

Bilal El Khannouss: He showed off that silky footwork again, although perhaps not as regularly as he did against Man City. He was a little casual at times, especially with his first-half shot, and the rough and tumble of the game didn’t help him. 6

Stephy Mavididi: He missed a huge chance but did not lose heart and charged up the pitch to ensure he was in the right place to grab the equaliser. When dribbling with the ball, he beat his man rarely, his runs often leading to a loss of possession. 5

Jamie Vardy: He wasn’t really involved. He didn’t make enough near-post runs for Ayew’s crosses in the first half, but he did learn and that brought about the equaliser. Again, after that, he wasn’t a threat. 5

Wout Faes: He was fine. There were no manic moments, but the defence did feel less secure with him on the pitch instead of Vestergaard. 5

Caleb Okoli: He rushed his clearances and just didn’t look settled at any point. Time out of the side has not done him any favours. 4

Facundo Buonanotte: Many will feel he should have been starting. But in all of his substitute appearances under van Nistelrooy, he hasn’t impacted the game. 5

Patson Daka: Chased hard, but was too erratic on or around the ball. Lacked quality when he needed it. 5

Bobby De Cordova-Reid: Only on the pitch for a few moments. N/A

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