OF all the things that tempted Unai Emery to cough up £50 million for Amadou Onana, it certainly wasn’t his goalscoring.
A mighty midfield general, of course. A never-back-down battler whose commanding presence and towering stature was the perfect protection for his backline.
Maybe even the odd driving run forward as he stretched those giant legs, while there weren’t many who could match the Belgian in the air.
Sticking the ball in the net, though, wasn’t very high on the must-do list. So what a welcome surprise that this morning Onana finds himself as Villa’s joint top scorer.
Three goals in two years at Goodison for Everton, and two already in just three games for Emery’s men, after following his opening day effort at West Ham with the opener here.
More Ollie Watkins than Ollie Watkins himself, you could say. The deadly striker of a year ago, but a man now stuck in a goalscoring drought.
One he would probably have ended after only two minutes here, to be honest, had he been a tad more alert when Youri Tielemans sent him scooting through.
Yet although he got there first, nudging it away from Mads Hermansen with his left foot, the keeper stretched out a long arm to paw it away and Watkins’ misery continued.
Having said that, his blank luck against the Foxes here wasn’t down to being off the pace, as much as facing a keeper who was fantastic one minute and fortunate the next.
We got a glimpse of the first when Morgan Rogers fed Watkins, who held off James Justin and shot low – only for Hermansen to get down well and push behind. It was a fine stop.
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Another narrow escape for Leicester, another moment to forget for Watkins. Thank Heavens, then, for the prolific Onana!
And what a well worked opener it was, as the Belgian stuck out a long leg to prod the visitors in front…a goal which left Foxes fans raging.
Fuming when referee David Coote decided Oliver Skipp had fouled Watkins, and fit to burst when Villa scored from the free kick.
Tielemans fed Jacob Ramsey on the charge, and from his low cross, Onana was unguarded as he turned it in.
It was no more than Villa’s superiority deserved, and on 64 minutes the dominance saw the lead doubled at last.
What an introduction it was too for Columbian striker Jhon Duran, scoring with his first touch after coming off the bench just 133 seconds before.
Lucas Digne traded passes with Ramsey before clipping in a cross that, if anything, was a fraction behind Duran.
Yet the Villa substitute’s header had the direction AND the power to find the top corner. It was a marvellous finish.
Duran’s magic moment came with the Foxes still feeling referee Coote had robbed them of an equaliser – although in truth he had done nothing of the sort.
When Harry Winks’ free kick struck the official, he had no option but to whistle, long before Skipp crossed low and Jamie Vardy picked out the bottom corner.
Common sense screamed that it couldn’t stand, Had the ball not hit Coote, it would never have ended up with Skipp in the first place, and Vardy knew it.
Still, fair play to the Foxes for pounding away, finally getting their reward when sub Facundo Buonanotte volleyed them a lifeline on 73 minutes.
One that Leicester fans thought had turned into a lifesaver in the last of seven added minutes, when Vardy crashed in Ezri Konsa’s challenge and the whistle blew.
Instead it was for offside, not a penalty. The Foxes striker had dived in any case, and justice was done…although not too many home fans agreed.
