Analysis: Fringe men to the fore to earn Aston Villa vital win
On a day Villa were missing key men and inspiration, two players who have frequently found themselves on the fringes stood up to help deliver a vital win.
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Ross Barkley and Ian Maatsen, both of whom were also celebrating becoming fathers in the days leading up to the match, have been handed just five Premier League starts between them since joining Villa last summer.
Yet on Saturday, on a largely laborious afternoon against struggling Leicester, their respective interventions were crucial, delivering a timely reminder to boss Unai Emery of their abilities.
Barkley got the ball rolling when he thumped home from 20 yards out to break the deadlock and then, after Stephy Mavididi had levelled for the Foxes, it was Maatsen who ensured this would not be another tale of frustration as he pounced on a loose pass and set up Leon Bailey to bag the winner, just seconds after being introduced off the bench.
It is perfectly possible that without Maatsen’s actions Villa would have been left to rue more dropped points at home just five days after blowing a lead late to draw 2-2 with Brighton. For much of the 90 minutes they struggled to penetrate a Leicester team who arrived with the Premier League’s joint-worst defensive record. The absence of both Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers, missing through suspension, loomed large. Neither was the outlook helped by an injury to John McGinn to another hamstring injury.
Yet by the finish they were left to celebrate a victory which kept them within three points of the fifth-place position which, comes the season’s end, will in all probability carry the prize of Champions League football. Admittedly, this might not have been a performance sufficient to beat most teams in the division but for all their flaws, Villa remain very much in the hunt and both Duran and Rogers should be available for the next Premier League match, away at Everton.
