January 14, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa secured a vital 2-1 victory over Leeds United in the Premier League on Friday night, putting them level on points with Chelsea in the table ahead of the rest of the weekend’s matches.
The hosts, led by manager, Unai Emery, were determined to bounce back from their recent FA Cup defeat to Stevenage. They took the lead just three minutes in, thanks to a strong run from midfielder, Boubacar Kamara, setting up Leon Bailey, for the opening goal.
The home team were forced to make two first-half substitutions, with new signing, Alex Moreno, making his debut only 10 minutes into the match. Moreno went on to make a crucial goal-line clearance, denying Leeds’ Rodrigo from scoring. Villa’s goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, also had to be alert to keep their advantage.
Emiliano Buendia scored a second for Villa, which was initially flagged offside but VAR intervened and the goal stood. Leeds had two penalty appeals that were waved away and one from Rodrigo that was ruled out for offside. Then, Patrick Bamford scored his first EPL goal of the season to halve the deficit but Villa held on to take all three points.
Villa’s rejuvenation under Emery continues. They remain in 11th place but are now tied in points with Chelsea above them. They will play Southampton in their next match. Leeds remains in 14th place, just two points above the teams in the relegation zone. They have an upcoming FA Cup replay match against Cardiff City on Wednesday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
