Nathan
Dyer scored a brave 89th-minute winner as Leicester City stormed back from 2-0
down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and claim second place in the Premier League on
Sunday.
Villa
looked set to inflict a first defeat of the campaign on Claudio Ranieri's men after
stylish first-time finishes either side of half-time by Jack Grealish and
Carles Gil put them in control at the King Power Stadium.
But
Ritchie De Laet halved the deficit in the 72nd minute with a flick from a Riyad
Mahrez corner that the Goal Decision System showed had just crossed the line
before Jamie Vardy turned in Danny Drinkwater's low cross for the equaliser 10
minutes later.
With
Villa hanging on, Mahrez floated a cross into the box and Dyer, a half-time
replacement for Shinji Okazaki, showed huge courage to beat outrushing
goalkeeper Brad Guzan to the ball and head home.
"It's
fantastic. We showed spirit and good character," said Leicester manager
Ranieri, who succeeded the sacked Nigel Pearson in July.
"After
2-0, I watched my players and they believed everything was possible.
"I
told the players we have 11 points and we still need 29. I don't know when to
achieve these points, but as soon as possible. At the moment we want to think
only about the safety of the team."
The
result preserved Leicester's unbeaten record and left them four points below
leaders Manchester City, with their Midlands rivals Villa seven points back in
15th place.
Villa
manager Tim Sherwood was unable to disguise his disappointment, telling the
BBC: "I've never felt this bad. Ever.
"There
was a lot of bad play there in the last half hour. The only way you can stop
the momentum is to stop the opposition. We turned it over stupidly.
"I'm
gutted for everyone who's associated with the football club."
Meanwhile,
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino encouraged his team to kick on
after they won 1-0 at Sunderland to claim their first victory of the campaign.
Ryan
Mason finished off an intricate move to score the winner in the 82nd minute
after Tottenham had weathered spells of pressure at the Stadium of Light, with
Spurs old boy Jermain Defoe notably hitting the post.
After
a defeat and three draws in Spurs' first four games, it was a win that had
taken its time in coming and Pochettino voiced optimism that it would be a sign
of things to come.
"It's
another clean sheet, the first victory of the league after five games, and now
we can move on. This will help us with our confidence for the next games,"
said the Argentinian, whose side climbed to 12th.
Spurs
grew into the game and made the breakthrough when Mason ran onto a through ball
from substitute Erik Lamela to score at the culmination of a 15-pass move.
Mason
was clattered by Sunderland goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon in the act of scoring
and had to be stretchered off, but Pochettino said it did not appear to be a
serious injury.
"The
goal showed how we tried to play and what our philosophy is," the Spurs
manager told Sky Sports.
"It
was fantastic, but unlucky for him because he got a big knock on his knee. But
we hope it is not a big issue."
Dick
Advocaat's Sunderland, who hit the bar through substitute Jack Rodwell in the
closing stages, sank to the foot of the table on goal difference.
Manchester City snatched a 1-0 win at Crystal
Palace on Saturday, leaving champions Chelsea 11 points off the pace - and one
place above the relegation zone - following a 3-1 reverse at Everton.
Manchester
United, meanwhile, moved up to third place after 19-year-old French striker
Anthony Martial scored a debut goal in a 3-1 home win over Liverpool.
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