Aston Villa came from behind to beat Leeds 2-1 at Elland Road to lift themselves into the Premier League’s top four.
Morgan Rogers continues to typify Villa’s impressive resurgence after a winless start to the campaign, taking until matchweek five to even score a goal, and netted twice in a second-half turnaround in Yorkshire.
Leeds were good value for their lead after Lukas Nmecha benefitted from a hashed clearance from Ezri Konsa in the eighth minute, needing VAR to ratify the goal after Emiliano Martinez claimed to be fouled, and showed plenty of intent to inflict further damage via Brenden Aaronson, who flashed an effort wide before drawing a decent save from Martinez.
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Lukas Nmecha bundles home a scrappy opener to give Leeds the lead
Villa were comfortably second best. But Unai Emery, a notoriously shrewd operator, was not about to pass up the chance to move within a point of Manchester City in third, making half-time adjustments that altered the course of the game in his favour.
Three minutes after the restart substitute Donyell Malen had helped Rogers land the equaliser and the latter arrowed a stunning free-kick – won by Ross Barkley off the bench – beyond Lucas Perri to seal three precious points.
A fifth defeat in six will only increase the pressure on under-fire Leeds boss Daniel Farke as they sit in the relegation zone, while Villa continue to make inroads at the opposite end after a sixth win in seven.
Rogers double completes comeback
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Morgan Rogers squeezes home the leveller for Villa
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Rogers puts Aston Villa in front with a deft free-kick from the edge of the box
Player ratings
Leeds: Perri (5), Bogle (6), Rodon (6), Struijk (6), Gudmundsson (6), Ampadu (6), Stach (6), Longstaff (6), Aaronson (6), Nmecha (6), Okafor (5).
Subs: Tanaka (7), Calvert-Lewin (5), James (5), Gnonto (n/a), Piroe (n/a).
Aston Villa: Martinez (6), Digne (5), Torres (6), Konsa (5), Cash (6), Buendia (4), Kamara (5), Tielemans (6), McGinn (6), Watkins (5), Rogers (8).
Subs: Malen (7), Maatsen (6), Barkley (6), Sancho (5), Bogarde (n/a).
Player of the Match: Morgan Rogers
Standout performer: Morgan Rogers
It has been a really productive fortnight for Rogers, one of three or four hopeful forwards trying to make the No 10 position for England theirs under Thomas Tuchel. On recent evidence, Rogers may well have leapt to the front of the queue, doing his chances no harm with a second-half masterclass, scoring twice from an xG value of just 0.22. He also made eight defensive contributions.
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Rogers celebrates his equaliser early into the second half
Tidying up his distribution and being stronger in duels might help advance the cause further, but no doubt the 23-year-old offers wonderful creativity and sustained goal threat. The odds of him being an England starter at next summer’s World Cup must be shortening.
Is Farke under pressure?
No doubt questions are being asked of Farke after conceding another lead. The exact same thing happened two weeks ago: Nmecha scores early but Leeds emerge with nothing, dropping eight points from winning positions this season.
Asked if he was feeling the pressure post-match, the German said no more than normal.
“Feeling the pressure? No, in terms of pressure, the first day you walk through the door you have pressure,” he told reporters. “This is not a topic for me. We want to work on this level. You have to deal with pressure. If you can’t handle the heat, don’t go into the kitchen.
“This doesn’t influence one per cent our work. For me, it’s important that we concentrate on what we have to do, what we have to improve. We’ve shown that we have enough to be competitive in this league also in this game, we’ve shown this.
“We have to be better in the decisive moments, and this is definitely something that we have to improve to win more points.”
Do Villa belong in top four?
Emery has insisted Villa are not top-four contenders despite finishing the weekend a point shy of third-placed Man City, showing resilience to once again come from behind. Only Brighton (10) have gained more points than Villa (nine) from losing positions this season, winning three of their last four games when conceding first.
“We are not contenders, [that] is the reality,” Emery said. “But the last year we were there, and this year it’s our ambition to be there as well.
“Today we got it, but still a lot of matches to play and, of course, still the difficulties we are going to face in Premier League and today is an example. Hopefully we can show our fight how we did the last years, this year as well.
“I think the key is to feel again confident and to feel comfortable. In the second half, we changed something, we go to their box and we score quick. How we managed the second half is something different.”
Villa mentality driving resurgent run
Analysis by Sky Sports’ William Bitibiri:
“Unai Emery spoke before his side’s win over Leeds about how impressed he’s been with Aston Villa’s mentality on their recent run. He called for it to continue calling this fixture a test of his side’s resolve after the break.
“Villa took a while to get into it and perhaps Leeds deserved something from the game, but there’s no doubt that Emery’s side dug in to secure the points this afternoon.
“Now fourth in the table, Villa are enjoying a run of six wins in their last seven matches. Their latest triumph had nearly everything Emery asked for.
“There was magic in Morgan Rogers’ finishes, while the likes of Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash at the back represented a staunch rearguard. Donyell Malen’s impact was instant off the bench as he set up Villa’s equaliser while Barkley won the free-kick that Rogers finely converted.
“Emery’s Villa have also been comeback masters this season, reflective once again of their mentality.
“Villa have won nine points from losing positions in the Premier League this season; only Brighton, with 10, have recovered more. They had to wait, but it feels like Villa have finally arrived this season.”
Leeds’ unwanted record plunges them into the relegation zone
Analysis by Sky Sports’ William Bitibiri:
“Leeds and Daniel Farke will feel like they deserved so much more from their defeat to Aston Villa.
“They took the lead, set and controlled the tempo while offering very little to the visitors. Welcome back to the Premier League, Daniel!
“Leeds have an unwanted record, they start well but are unable to sustain their early momentum and that has plunged them into the relegation zone for the first time this campaign.
“In fact, Leeds have dropped eight points from winning positions in the Premier League this season. Had they maintained their advantages, Leeds would be in the top half of the table.
“Farke said after the game that his side have shown they can be competitive, which is a fair assessment. However, if they continue to throw away leads, the league may throw away Leeds.”
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