Less than three months after avoiding relegation by a single point, Aston Villa can go top of the Premier League if they beat Leeds on Friday after a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.
Ross Barkley’s glorious injury-time strike sealed their fourth consecutive victory and should make people sit up and take notice just as much as the 7-2 triumph over champions Liverpool a fortnight ago.
How different it was when these sides last met, when Leicester won 4-0 on March 9 in the last Premier League fixture to be played before a crowd.
Villa looked relegation certainties back then, but they emerged a much stronger side after the three-month coronavirus shutdown and given their summer business, they will now feel the possibilities are endless after on-loan Chelsea midfielder Barkley’s superb 25-yard effort.