Leicester City player ratings v Aston Villa: Tete electric and Kristiansen superb in bonkers win

New signing Tete led Leicester City’s charge as they secured their first Premier League win since the World Cup in a barnstorming game at Aston Villa.

City twice came from behind in a wild first half that ended with the Brazilian putting his new side ahead, with victory sealed by Dennis Praet in the second half. It relieves pressure on City, whose run of form had seen them dragged towards the relegation zone.

They needed to show resilience to bounce back from goals by Ollie Watkins and one into his own net by debutant Harry Souttar, with James Maddison responding to the first and Kelechi Iheanacho for the second. Eventually, City found their feet defensively while still providing a threat on the attack, and that earned them a much-needed win.

Brendan Rodgers went all-out with his line-up, naming all three new signings in his 11, bringing Kelechi Iheanacho in for just his second Premier League start of the season, and dispensing with a defensive midfielder. It led to a wild first half.

Villa took the lead inside 10 minutes when Emi Buendia was afforded too much space to bend a 20-yard shot onto the bar, with Watkins reacting quicker than Timothy Castagne to get to the rebound and acrobatically finish. But City were level just a few minutes later when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall robbed Boubacar Kamara inside his own box, with Iheanacho finding Maddison to scramble the ball in on his first Premier League start for more than two months.

After a spell of pressure around the half-hour mark, which saw Leon Bailey denied by Danny Ward and Buendia hit the bar again, Villa took the lead once more when Watkins’ cross was flicked into his own net on debut by Souttar. Again, City responded quickly, with Harvey Barnes delivering an excellent cross to the back post where Iheanacho was waiting to head in.

The half was not over there. As the match reached injury time, Iheanacho threaded a pinpoint pass through the lines for Tete, who controlled the ball superbly, dribbled around Emi Martinez and finished into the empty net to get the Brazil flags in the away end flying.

The second half started just as the first half had ended, with Iheanacho, Philippe Coutinho, and Tete all going close. But as the game wore on and Villa pressure mounted, a long ball over the top to substitute Praet saw the Belgian get his first City goal since 2020 and seal the win.

Danny Ward: He made a couple of decent saves to keep out shots to the bottom corner, but perhaps should have been up quicker to respond to the Watkins goal, the Welshman flapping once the rebound came in. He didn’t inspire confidence from high balls and with his feet, but he got the job done. 6

Timothy Castagne: He was far too slow to react for the opener, allowing Watkins to steal in. He had a lot to do, partly because he didn’t have as much cover as usual with Tete in front of him, and he looked uncomfortable on occasion, but he handled most of his defensive work reasonably well. 6

Harry Souttar: He was unfortunate for the own goal in what was actually a quiet first half for the big man. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for a centre-back though. In the second period, he won some big headers and made one excellent block to deny Watkins, although looked a little shaky when players dribbled right at him. 6

Wout Faes: He put in a few fine tackles when one-vs-one against players dribbling at him, challenges he had to get right. Otherwise, he was as hectic as usual, misjudging some balls over the top but also putting himself in the right spot to keep Villa out. 6

Victor Kristiansen: It looked like it might be a difficult afternoon for him when Bailey beat him in the first attack of the match, but from there he was outstanding. He was really strong and aggressive in the tackle, stood up his wingers well to stop them getting by him, and bombed on plenty. There was a lovely touch to Barnes to help set up the second goal too. 8

Youri Tielemans: In an attacking midfield, he had more defensive duties, and he did them pretty well. He was certainly committed and did a lot of running. On the ball, the game was so end-to-end that he wasn’t in possession as often as he usually is. 7

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: He was a pest in the press and he snapped at Kamara’s heels to set up the first goal. But otherwise, he had real trouble in the first half, running in trouble and giving the ball away, with only a few of his switches to Barnes coming off. He didn’t get tight enough to Watkins for Villa’s second either. Improved in the second period. 5

James Maddison: He showed great feet to adjust under pressure and score the opening goal, while he nearly scored another as he looked to catch Martinez off guard. When he was involved, he looked really good, but he perhaps didn’t get on the ball as much as he or City would have liked. 7

Tete: Those Brazil flags will be flying all season if this is anything to go by. The new winger was electric. He carries the ball with such speed that full-backs can’t stop him, while his close control is exceptional. His darting run and dribble around Martinez capped a memorable debut. 8

Kelechi Iheanacho: There were so many moments where he came unstuck, either by dribbling into trouble or hanging in an offside position. And yet, he’s ended the game with a goal and two assists. He peeled off Mings to head in and then provided a sumptuous pass for Tete’s goal. 7

Harvey Barnes: He was barely involved, which was unlike him. But he did get his first assist of the season with a magical cross to Iheanacho, and then another with his ball over the top to Praet, while there were signs of decent link-up with Kristiansen. 6

Dennis Praet: Provided so much energy and kept popping up in important moments at both ends of the pitch. His pressure on Moreno forced the mistake, and he kept his head to score his first City goal since November 2020. 7

Jamie Vardy: He kept getting caught offside early on, but then warmed up and helped City see the game out with some intelligent play. Worked well with Barnes. 6

Papy Mendy: He was tidy under pressure and helped City see the game out. There's nobody better in the squad for that. 6

Luke Thomas: He stayed calm, but didn't have a lot to do during his few minutes on the pitch. He'll have some battle to get his spot back from Kristiansen. N/A

Caglar Soyuncu: He thundered into a few challenges like only he can, but that helped break up Villa attacks. The fans still love him. N/A