Leicester City produced a stunning comeback to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in the Midlands derby on Sunday.
Claudio Ranieri's Foxes were staring down the barrel of a first Premier League defeat of the season when they trailed by two goals at King Power Stadium.
Carles Gil had added to Jack Grealish's sublime first-half goal in the 63rd minute with a delightful finish of his own but Leicester were not to denied and staged a remarkable fightback with three goals inside the final 20 minutes.
It started in the 72nd minute when Ritchie De Laet's front post flick-on from Riyad Mahrez's corner was adjudged to have crossed the line before Jamie Vardy latched onto Danny Drinkwater's low cross to steer home the equaliser in the 82nd minute.
And in the 89th minute, the comeback was complete when a fearless Nathan Dyer courageously put his body on the line to get a head on Mahrez's pass under extreme duress from an onrushing Brad Guzan.
The win has Leicester sitting second on the table with 11 points from five matches, four behind league leaders Manchester City, while Tim Sherwood's hapless Villa find themselves sitting 15th.
MATCH OVERVIEW
Leicester City: 3 (Ritchie De Laet 72', Jamie Vardy 82', Nathan Dyer 89')
Aston Villa: 2 (Jack Grealish 39', Carles Gil 63')
King Power Stadium, Leicester - 31,733
TALKING POINTS
- Surely Leicester are no longer a flash in the pan with this result. Can the Foxes continue in the same vein?
- What can Sherwood do to get Villa out of this slump following their season-opening win over Bournemouth?
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Foxes will be riding high when they head to third-bottom Stoke City on Saturday, on the same dat Villa host West Bromwich Albion in the West Midlands derby.
TWITTER INSIGHT
Big result. Big second half. Great 3 points. Atmosphere was electric! #LCFC
— jeffrey schlupp (@Jeffrey_Schlupp) September 13, 2015Oh yes! What a feeling! #lcfcpic.twitter.com/hg2p4DGis5
— Kasper schmeichel (@kschmeichel1) September 13, 2015Gutted!! But on a personal note proud to score my first goal for the club I love! Once again the fans were unreal!! pic.twitter.com/ujipEBpqFf
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish1) September 13, 2015
QUOTES CORNER
Leicester's Ranieri on the fightback of his team:
"My players were fantastic - fantastic spirit and character.
"At 2-0 I look at my players and they still believe it is possible. That is the spirit I love. The players believed in something good as a group and that is what I want."
Villa's Sherwood on the devastating defeat:
"I've never felt this bad, ever. Who cares? Who cares if we played well?
"I'm bitterly disappointed for everyone associated with the club because the game is won with around 30 minutes to go."
STATS SPECIALS
*Thanks to Opta
9 - Leicester City have now gone nine Premier League games unbeaten (W6 D3), their best-ever run. Foxy.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 13, 201520 - Jack Grealish is the youngest player to score for Aston Villa in the PL (20y 3d) since Nathan Delfouneso in Nov '10 (19y 281d). Cub.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 13, 2015
TEAM LEADERS
LEICESTER
Goals - Riyad Mahrez 4
Assists - Marc Albrighton 3
Yellow cards - Jamie Vardy, Jeff Schlupp, Andy King 2
ASTON VILLA
Goals - Scott Sinclair 2
Assists - Four players on 1
Clean sheets - Brad Guzan 1
Yellow cards - Ciaran Clark 3
