Aston Villa returned to Premier League glory as Leon Bailey's late goal gave them a 2-1 victory over visitors Leicester City at Villa Park.
The Jamaican international scored in the 76th minute to restore Villa's lead after Stephy Mavididi's equalizer, when he slotted home the all-important goal from Ian Maatsen's cross.
After a cagey first half with few chances, the game finally opened up after the break, with Ross Barkley firing in the opener for Villa just before the hour mark.
Mavididi, who had missed a golden opportunity to put Leicester ahead shortly after the restart, made amends when he fired home an equalizer five minutes later, but the Foxes could not find a second response after Bailey's goal.
The defeat leaves Leicester 19th with 14 points, two behind Wolverhampton Wanderers in 17th, while Unai Emery's Villa rise to eighth with 32 points.
to kickstart 2025 #AVLLEI #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/K4arKmWJo5
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 4, 2025
Data debrief: Bailey ends goal drought
Bailey scored his first goal of the season to give Villa a much-needed win – after a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United and a late draw against Brighton in their most recent matches.
It ended a run of 19 Premier League appearances without a goal for the 27-year-old and marked his first goal since April against Bournemouth.
Only Ollie Watkins, 44, has scored more Premier League goals for Villa since the start of last season than Bailey, who scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists.
While Villa completed their first league double against Leicester since the 2003-04 season, the Foxes have now lost five league games in a row for the first time since September 2022 and have kept just one clean sheet in their last 21 games.
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