Aston Villa fell short in their attempts of a comeback against Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The Foxes hit the home side with two goals in four first half minutes to lead at the break, with Harvey Barnes adding to James Maddison’s 19th minute strike.
Bertrand Traoré fired the Villans back into the contest minutes after the interval, slamming home from Matt Targett’s cross.
And despite pushing for an equaliser, the home side were left empty-handed as a resolute Leicester took the points.
Villa were dealt a big blow ahead of the game as captain Jack Grealish’s streak of 50 consecutive Premier League starts came to an end, with Anwar El Ghazi named as his replacement.
In the absence of their talisman, the hosts searched for fluency going forward, with balls into the channels for Ollie Watkins proving their most successful outlet.
One such ball started Villa’s best move of the half as Watkins’ exquisite flick found El Ghazi who fed the on-rushing Traoré, with the wideman only denied by a Leicester block.
A cagey opening to the game suddenly evaporated when Leicester struck twice in four minutes, with Maddison sending a low shot into the bottom corner to give them the lead.
The second goal followed quickly when Barnes fired into the roof of the net from close range after Emiliano Martínez had spilled Jamie Vardy’s initial effort.
After the quickfire double, Villa began to see more of the ball as they pushed for a way back into the game, but chances were limited as the first half came to a close.
Villa needed a fast start to the second half and they got exactly that, with Traoré pulling a goal back less than three minutes after the restart.
The winger was waiting unmarked on the six-yard box to slam the ball home after Targett’s cross had evaded everyone.
Trezeguet, Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Sanson were injected energy as Dean Smith shuffled his pack in search of an equaliser that was proving difficult to find against a stubborn Leicester defence.
With time running out, Watkins had a penalty shout waved away after Daniel Amartey was adjudged to have played the ball as the striker tried to turn a shot on goal.
Tyrone Mings, who captained the side in the absence of Grealish, then flicked a header wide as the away team safely navigated five minutes of stoppage time.
Villa: Martínez, Elmohamady, Konsa, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Luiz (Sanson 81'), Barkley (Ramsey 76'), Traoré, Watkins, El Ghazi (Trezeguet 67').
Unused subs: Heaton, Taylor, Nakamba, Davis, Chukwuemeka, Kesler Hayden.
