Given that Brendan Rodgers has spent much of a so-far miserable season highlighting the need for a refresh of his squad, it seemed apt that all three of his January signings played their part in a welcome win at Aston Villa. Tetê, the Brazilian winger signed from Shakhtar Donetsk, scored on debut to give Leicester the lead at the end of jam-packed first half in which Villa twice squandered their advantage, before the substitute Dennis Praet sealed victory late on.
For Leicester, a first league win since the World Cup appeared both a relief and a cause for celebration. Their only scalps in previous weeks had comprised slender cup wins against fourth-tier opposition – Gillingham and Walsall – and with their next three matches against three of the Premier League’s top five in Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal, the urgency for three points was more pronounced, even before digesting Everton’s lunchtime win over the latter. At kick-off, Leicester were outside the relegation zone only on goal difference.
