Key stats
- Morgan Rogers is the first Aston Villa player to score a brace at Elland Road in the Premier League after Gareth Southgate in January 2000.
- All of Aston Villa's last three goals in the Premier League scored inside the opening three minutes of the second half have been scored by Morgan Rogers, with his equaliser today being scored with 47:07 on the clock.
- Leeds United have scored more goals in the opening 15 minutes of Premier League games than any other side this season (4).
Analysis
Morgan Rogers was the star man as Aston Villa overturned a deficit to win at Elland Road.
Aston Villa responded well to falling behind early in the first half and fended off some late Leeds pressure.
Match report
After seeing a raft of teams at the foot of the table pick up points on Saturday, there was an element of pressure on Leeds here.
They looked every bit like they were up for the battle inside the opening 10 minutes when they took the lead in somewhat fortuitous circumstances, as Anton Stach kept a half-cleared free-kick alive and Ezri Konsa’s attempted clearance hit Lukas Nmecha and trickled over the line.
Villa’s response was muted to say the least, with a free-kick from Emiliano Buendía that drifted high over the bar as close as they came to finding an instant response.
The stop-start nature of the half, combined with the treacherous conditions, certainly wasn’t helping the game as a spectacle, but Leeds were undoubtedly coping better.
Daniel Farke’s men looked the likelier to grab the game’s second goal, yet they were struggling to produce an end product.
Even when they did finally manage to manufacture a sight of goal, Brenden Aaronson’s volley from the edge of the area was repelled by Emiliano Martínez.
It took Villa until the stroke of HT to have a meaningful effort on goal, and when they did, it was a stark warning to Leeds that the game was far from over as Ollie Watkins bent an effort inches wide of the target.
Unai Emery was unhappy with what he’d seen in the first half and looked to his bench to make a double change at HT.
One of those changes was involved in Villa’s equaliser within three minutes of the restart, as Donyell Malen’s wicked delivery was turned home at the near post by Morgan Rogers, whose deft flick completely changed the complexion of the game.
Malen was influential after his introduction, and he almost fired Villa ahead for the first time on the day when his left-footed effort deflected narrowly wide of the target.
However, it was one of Emery’s starters who found the breakthrough, with the goal coming from a familiar source.
Rogers has carried Villa through some difficult games this term, and it was he who produced a magic moment once again today, floating a perfect free-kick over the wall and beyond a statuesque Lucas Perri.
That seemingly served as nothing more than a reprieve for Villa when Dominic Calvert-Lewin bundled home Dan James’ cross moments later, but a handball spared the blushes of Emery’s men.
Leeds did push and probe in the closing stages, but they couldn’t find the clear-cut chance they needed to get back on level terms.
A point would’ve been enough to lift Leeds out of the drop zone, and their last chance to claim a share of the spoils came and went when Martínez routinely saved Pascal Struijk’s header.
Villa just about held on to claim three huge points, which provisionally lifts them back into the top four.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Post-match comments
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers to Sky Sports: "We knew it wasn't the game for pretty football and nice passes. It was about how hard we wanted it and how much we were determined.
"They were at us in the first half. We brought that energy in the second half. We brought that resilience. We had to dig deep at the end.
"(The free-kick) wasn't bad. Emi (Buendia)'s been practising, I've tried to practise with him. I'm not as good as him. We've been practising that technique. I'm happy that went in. I'm happy it worked today."