Leicester City staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and go second in the Premier League table yesterday, scoring three times in 18 minutes.
Aston Villa seemed in control when Carles Gil’s curling shot following a lightning counter-attack put them 2-0 ahead just past the hour after youngster Jack Grealish’s first goal for his club had given them the halftime advantage.
But Claudio Ranieri’s vibrant Leicester side halved the deficit in the 72nd minute through Ritchie De Laet and, roared on by a raucous home support, equalised through Jamie Vardy before substitute Nathan Dyer’s brave headed winner.
Ranieri hailed the spirit of his side after the remarkable comeback.
“It’s fantastic. Fantastic spirit and good character from my team,” the Italian told Sky Sports 1.
“After 2-0 I watched my players but they believed that anything was possible and that’s the spirit I love. You can lose but it’s important to fight until the end of the match.
“This victory is very important to restart well and get three points. It’s fantastic.”
The former Greece and Juventus manager added: “I have a lot of experience but this group is fantastic. We must play every match in this way.”
Leicester have 11 points from five games, four less than Manchester City who still have a 100 per cent record.
Earlier in the afternoon, Ryan Mason scored a late winner and was then carried off on a stretcher as Tottenham Hotspur beat Sunderland 1-0 to take their first Premier League victory of the season.
The win lifted Spurs to 12th in the table and dropped champions Chelsea, beaten 3-1 at Everton on Saturday, down to 17th and in danger of falling into the bottom three when Newcastle United play at West Ham United tonight.
Mason’s mishap
Mason’s 82nd-minute dinked goal, with Erik Lamela splitting the defence after combining with Harry Kane, broke the deadlock and provided a rare burst of brilliance in an otherwise uninspired encounter at the Stadium of Light.
The midfielder was then carried off injured after colliding with Sunderland goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino said the player’s condition would be assessed today.
“It was a big knock on the knee. It was a great goal and we showed how we try to play,” he said.
Sunderland, still searching for their first win after five games this season and now with 11 goals conceded, dropped to the bottom of the table and behind Stoke City on goal difference.
South Korean Son Heung-min, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in August and scored a hat-trick for his country during the international break, made his Spurs debut but missed a good first half chance and was taken off after 62 minutes.
Even if Son did not shine as brightly as some had expected yesterday, Pochettino sounded pleased with the new signing’s performance: “I am very happy with Son, he played really well. He is a good player for us.”
England striker Kane, still to get off the mark for his club this season, squandered a chance in the 67th minute when he failed to connect with a Mason cross with the goal begging.
Results and standings
Premier League
Leicester City 3
De Laet 72; Vardy 82; Dyer 89;
Aston Villa 2
Grealish 39; Gil 64;
HT: 0-1. Att: 31,733.
Sunderland 0
Tottenham 1
Mason 82;
HT: 0-0. Att: 40,303.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Man. City | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 15 |
| Leicester | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 11 |
| Man. United | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| Arsenal | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| C. Palace | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 9 |
| Everton | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
| Swansea | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| Norwich City | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Liverpool | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 |
| West Ham | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| Southampton | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Tottenham | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Watford | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| West Brom | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
| Bournemouth | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 |
| Chelsea | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 4 |
| Newcastle | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Stoke City | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| Sunderland | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
Playing today
West Ham vs Newcastle - 21:00
Next fixtures
Saturday: 13.45 Chelsea vs Arsenal. 16.00 Aston Villa vs West Brom; Bournemouth vs Sunderland; Newcastle vs Watford; Stoke vs Leicester; Swansea vs Everton. 18.30 Manchester City vs West Ham.
Sunday: 14.30 Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace. 17.00 Liverpool vs Norwich City; Southampton vs Manchester United.
The Championship
Fulham vs Blackburn Rovers - 2-1