Aston Villa came from behind to beat Leeds 2-1 at Elland Road and moved into the top four of the Premier League.
Morgan Rodgers continues to represent Villa’s remarkable comeback after a winless start to the season, taking until matchday five to score, scoring twice in a second-half comeback against Yorkshire.
Leeds took the lead in the eighth minute when Lucas Nmeka scored after a quick clearance from Ezri Konsa, but VAR was needed to approve the goal as Emiliano Martinez claimed to have been fouled, but Brenden Aaronson showed enough intent to do more damage by flicking his shot wide and drawing a save from Martinez.
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Lucas Nmeka scores a stunning opening goal to give Leeds the lead.
The villa was second best in comfort. But the notoriously shrewd Unai Emery was not about to miss out on the chance to get within one point of third-placed Manchester City and made adjustments at half-time to turn the tide of the game in his favor.
Three minutes after the restart, substitute Donyell Malen helped Rodgers equalize, with Rodgers taking a superb free-kick that was scored by substitute Ross Barkley and slotted past Lucas Perry for a valuable three points.
With Leeds sinking into the relegation zone, pressure is only increasing on Leeds manager Daniel Farke, who has lost five of six games, but Villa remain at the top of the table with six wins from seven.
Rogers’ double is back to normal
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Morgan Rodgers scores the equalizer for Villa.
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Rodgers puts Aston Villa ahead with a deft free-kick from the edge of the box.
Outstanding Performer: Morgan Rogers
The last two weeks have been a real success for Rodgers, who is one of three or four promising forwards looking to take England’s No. 10 spot for themselves under Thomas Tuchel. Recent evidence suggests Rodgers may have seized his chances with a second-half masterclass, scoring two goals from an xG value of just 0.22, and catapulting himself to the front of the queue. He also contributed eight times on defense.
Rodgers celebrates equalizer early in the second half
Cleaning up his distribution and getting stronger in duels could help the cause further, but there is no doubt that the 23-year-old offers great creativity and a sustained goal threat. His chances of being a starter for England at next summer’s World Cup are sure to shrink by the end of the game.
Is Falke under pressure?
There is no doubt that doubts are being cast on Falke who allowed him to take a further lead. The exact same thing happened two weeks ago. Nmeka scored early, but Leeds went on to win without a goal, dropping eight points off the table this season. When asked after the match if he felt pressured, the German player said only that it was normal.
“Do you feel pressure? No, in terms of pressure, you feel pressure the first day you walk through the door,” he told reporters. “This is not a subject for me. We want to work at this level. We have to deal with the pressure. If you can’t stand the heat, don’t go into the kitchen.”
“This does not affect our work one percent. The important thing for me is to focus on what we have to do and what we have to improve. We showed in this game that we are quite competitive in this league and we showed that.”
“We have to be better in decisive moments. This is definitely something we have to improve on to score more points.”
Will Villa be in the top four?
Emery insisted Villa were not top-four contenders despite ending the weekend one point behind third-placed Man City, and showed their resilience to come back again. This season, only Brighton (10) have more points than Villa (9) despite falling down the table, and have won three of their last four games by conceding first goals.
“We are not competitors, that is the reality,” Emery said. “But we were there last year and it is our ambition to be there again this year.
“We achieved that today, but we still have a lot of games left and of course we will still face challenges in the Premier League and today is an example of that. I hope we can show the same kind of battle this year as we did last year.”
“I think the important thing is to get confident again and feel comfortable. In the second half, we made some changes, went to their box and scored right away. The way we managed in the second half was something different.”
Villa mentality fuels comeback
Morgan Rodgers celebrates with Matty Cash after putting Villa ahead
Analysis by William Vitibili of Sky Sports:
“Unai Emery spoke before his team’s win over Leeds about how impressed he is with Aston Villa’s recent mentality. He called for this game to continue to be a test of the team’s resolve after the break.”
“Villa took a while to find their groove and perhaps Leeds deserved something from this game, but there is no doubt that Emery’s side worked hard to secure a point this afternoon.
“Villa, who are currently fourth in the table, have won six of their last seven games. Their latest win was almost everything Emery was looking for.”
“Morgan Rodgers’ finishing was magical, while Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash at the back represented a solid backline. Donyell Malen’s impact came off the bench straight away, while setting up Villa’s equaliser, with Barclay winning a well-taken free-kick from Rodgers.
“Emery’s Villa have been comeback masters this season, again reflecting their mentality.
“Villa have fallen in the Premier League this season with nine points, only Brighton have recovered more with 10 points. They’ve had to wait, but it feels like Villa have finally arrived this season.”
Leeds fall into the relegation zone
Leeds created three big chances but only managed to score once.
Analysis by William Vitibili of Sky Sports:
“Leeds and Daniel Farke will feel they deserved more after losing to Aston Villa.
“They took the lead, set the tempo and controlled but offered little to the visitors. Welcome to the Premier League, Daniel!”
“Leeds have had a disappointing run of form and despite a strong start they were unable to maintain their early momentum, which meant they fell into the relegation zone for the first time this season.
“In fact, Leeds have dropped eight points off the Premier League table this season. Had they maintained their advantage, Leeds would have been in the top half of the table.”
“Falke said after the game that the team had shown they could be competitive and that was a fair assessment. But if they continue to lose the lead, the league may end up dumping Leeds.”
