Foxes complete stunning late derby comeback to go second, after beating Villa 3-2

A late Nathan Dyer debut goal completed a thrilling Leicester City comeback, as the Foxes defeated Aston Villa 3-2 in the Midlands derby to go second in the league.

Two wonderful first-touch finishes from Jack Grealish and Carles Gil gave Tim Sherwood’s side a comfortable 2-0 lead which looked set to ended Leicester’s eight-match undefeated streak that stretched into last season.

But Richie De Laet prodded home in the 72^nd minute to give hope, with the help of goal-line technology, before goals for Jamie Vardy and Dyer sealed a remarkable turnaround.

Claudio Ranieri made two changes from the side that drew at Bournemouth before the international break, bringing in Shinji Okazaki for N’golo Kante and handing Gokhan Inler his full debut in place of Andy King. The away side made four changes, with both goal scorers amongst the alterations and Idrissa Gana missing out through a torn hamstring.

Inside a loud King Power Stadium, the match started brightly with chances for both sides. Daniel Drinkwater’s speculative long shot sailed over Brad Guzan’s goal, whilst Scott Sinclair missed from close range after seven minutes. It was Gabriel Agbonlahor who squared it to the back post for the 26-year-old, after being put in behind Leicester’s defence.

The match then died down until mid-way through the half, when Grealish squandered Gil’s brilliant work. The Spaniard, making his first start since Sherwood’s first game in February, wrestled the ball from Jeffrey Schlupp and cut inside, threading it through to Grealish whose poorly-hit shot was comfortable for Schmeichel.

Until the opening goal, events could be summed up by one particular passage of play. Inler showed superb determination to win the ball back, causing a great roar from the home fans, only to be immediately ended by Drinkwater’s aimlessly wasted long ball. It was a frustrating half.

Then came Grealish’s moment. After a week where his international allegiance was once again debated, he made sure both England and the Republic of Ireland continued to clamour for him with a wonderfully calm finish to open the scoring.

A corner was glanced across goal and scrambled away, with the ball eventually finding its way to the edge of Leicester’s box. The newly-turned 20-year-old found the composure to curl the ball first time through a sea of bodies to give Villa the lead. His first goal for the club, Grealish leapt into Tim Sherwood's arms, who lifted him up in celebration.

Leicester had lost just once in nine home Premier League games with Villa and are the league’s fourth highest scoring team of 2015, yet failed to seriously threaten Guzan in the first half.

Ranieri responded by bringing on deadline-day loanee Dyer for the second half, replacing Okazaki. It inspired a strong restart from the home side, with Vardy’s 48^th minute near-post flick going wide and top scorer Riyad Mahrez slowly gaining a bigger influence on the action. He would be the man who turned the game on its head.

Just as Leicester began to dominate proceedings, Villa ruthlessly broke away to score a second in the 64^th minute. Jordan Amavi found Agbonlahor down the left hand side, who burst forward and waited for supported. Suddenly, Gil appeared to deliciously curl a left-footed strike into the top corner from 20 yards, giving Schmeichel no chance.

With all hope lost, Leicester halved the lead thanks to goal-line technology. Mahrez’ corner reached the near post and was prodded over the line by right-back Richie De Laet, despite Grealish’s best attempts to keep it out. Referee Mike Dean received a signal to indicate the ball crossed the line and suddenly there was renewed hope and energy from Leicester fans.

Running high on adrenaline, Leicester maintained momentum and almost equalised through Vardy. Then, in the 82^nd minute, the majestic Mahrez surged through Villa’s defence before pushing the ball right to Drinkwater. The midfielder then centred it for England international Vardy to prod home, prompting scenes of delirium.

Incredibly, the comeback was completed when the 5ft 4in Dyer, on loan from Swansea City, beat two defenders and Guzan to head home Mahrez’s dinked cross. Immediately, physios rushed onto the pitch to treat the unmoved Dyer, as there was both concern for his wellbeing and confusion as to whether the goal stood. However, Dean allowed the header and Dyer was soon back on the field to complete the match.

Whilst Leicester celebrated wildly at the final whistle, Villa fans and players were stunned at what had just happened. Set for a deserved victory, they were blitzed by a team that just would not quit. It’s that spirit that puts the Foxes in lofty second place, four points behind Manchester City, with Villa remaining in 15^th place.

Tim Sherwood’s side have a second consecutive Midlands derby next Saturday, at home to West Brom. He’ll be desperately hoping history doesn’t repeat itself.