Aston Villa produced a spirited second-half comeback to claim a 2-1 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday lunchtime, with Morgan Rogers the hero for the Villains. Leeds struck early in chaotic fashion just eight minutes in, when a Sean Longstaff free-kick was nodded back across goal by Gabriel Gudmundsson. Villa keeper Emi Martinez found himself beaten in the air by Anton Stach, whose header was cleared off the line only to deflect in off Lukas Nmecha. The goal stood after a lengthy VAR check, giving Leeds a slice of fortune they’ve often lacked this season. Buoyed by the early breakthrough, Leeds showed grit and determination, holding their own against a technically superior Villa side. Yet their defensive frailties at one end and lack of cutting edge at the other remain an obvious concern.

The visitors needed a spark after the break and manager Unai Emery found one through his half-time team talk. Just two minutes into the second half, substitute Donyell Malen delivered a sharp low cross that Rogers cleverly flicked past Lucas Perri to level the score. Villa’s momentum grew, and with 15 minutes remaining, Rogers struck again; this time with a free-kick from the edge of the box that kept Lukas Perri rooted to the spot. The hosts thought they’d equalised almost immediately, but VAR intervened once more, ruling out Dan James' effort as Dominic Calvert-Lewin handled the ball on its way in.

For Leeds, the defeat was a painful one, dragging them into the drop zone and increasing the pressure on under-fire boss Daniel Farke. A third consecutive loss, their seventh of the season will have supporters worried, and the questions around Farke’s future are becoming louder.

	Line Up		Nat	Match Events
	1	Perri, Lucas Goalkeeper			7.2
	2	Bogle, Jayden Defender			6.9
	3	Gudmundsson, Gabriel Defender			6.0
	6	Rodon, Joe Defender			★7.9
	5	Struijk, Pascal Defender			8.5
	4	Ampadu, Ethan Midfielder			7.3
	8	Longstaff, Sean Midfielder
	18	Stach, Anton Midfielder
	11	Aaronson, Brenden Midfielder
	19	Okafor, Noah Midfielder			5.3
	14	Nmecha, Lukas Forward			7.1
	Subs		Nat	Match Events
	22	Tanaka, Ao Midfielder			7.6
	9	Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Forward			8.0
	7	James, Daniel Midfielder			4.9
	29	Gnonto, Wilfried Midfielder			6.3
	10	Piroe, Joel Forward
	26	Darlow, Karl Goalkeeper		Unused Sub
	24	Justin, James Defender		Unused Sub
	15	Bijol, Jaka Defender		Unused Sub	5.9
	44	Gruev, Ilia Midfielder		Unused Sub	7.1