Leicester stun Villa with comeback victory to go second
Updated Sep 13, 2015 at 1:30p ET
Leicester staged a stunning late comeback to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
Jack Grealish gave the visitors the lead in the 40th minute with a fine finish before Carles Gil doubled the advantage after the break with another excellent strike.
But the Foxes turned things around in a pulsating final 20 minutes as Ritchie de Laet and Jamie Vardy made it 2-2.
Nathan Dyer then netted an 89th-minute winner on his debut to complete a memorable comeback.
The result moves Leicester up to second in the table while Villa, who are winless since the opening day, will rue letting the game slip from their grasp in the final stages.
Joleon Lescott made his debut in defence for Villa while Switzerland international Gokhan Inler made his first league for Leicester.
With their unbeaten record to defend, the Foxes started brightly as Shinji Okazaki saw a shot blocked and Danny Drinkwater fired over the bar from distance.
Villa, though, should have taken the lead in the eighth minute when Gabriel Agbonlahor slid a ball across goal for Scott Sinclair, who failed to hit the target as he slid in at the back post.
- • Everton 3, Chelsea 1
- • Crystal Palace 0, Manchester City 1
- • Norwich City 3, AFC Bournemouth 1
- • West Brom 0, Southampton 0
- • Arsenal 2, Stoke City 0
- • Watford 1, Swansea City 0
- • Manchester United 3, Liverpool 1
- • Sunderland 0, Tottenham 1
- • Leicester City 3, Aston Villa 2
- • West Ham, Newcastle
Wes Morgan then missed a good opportunity at the other end as he headed over the bar from six yards out.
But it was Villa who settled into their stride better and started to dominate possession as the half wore on.
Grealish spurned a decent chance when he shot at Kasper Schmeichel from Gil's pass before breaking the deadlock in the 39th minute with a brilliant curling effort from outside the box.
The home side looked as though they could threaten a comeback at the start of the second half as they started on the front foot and Vardy went close.
But Villa doubled their advantage against the run of play as Gil scored with another fine first-time finish, curling in a shot from Agbonlahor's cut back.
At that stage it looked as though Villa would be heading for victory, but they were unable to hold off a superb comeback from the Foxes.
First, De Laet flicked in a header from Riyad Mahrez's corner to give the home side hope before Drinkwater crossed for Vardy to level the scores.
With the wind in their sails the Foxes pressed for victory and completed the comeback in the 89th minute when Dyer beat Brad Guzan to a clipped ball over the top and headed into the net.
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