U18s: Leicester City 1-4 Aston Villa

Aston Villa extended their lead at the top of the Under-18 Premier League South division to eight points with an emphatic 4-1 win at Leicester City on Saturday morning.

Jimmy Shan’s side produced a commanding display at the Leicester Training Ground to secure a fifth-straight victory in all competitions.

A first-half brace from Cole Brannigan put the Young Lions in the driving seat at the break, before second-half strikes from Max Jenner and Trai-Varn Mulley meant Lorenz Hutchinson’s response was little more than a consolation.

Villa started well, but it was an error from the hosts which presented them with the opportunity to take the lead.

Pressing from Brannigan and Mason Cotcher forced Leicester goalkeeper Jake Donohue into misplacing a pass out straight to the feet of the former, who made no mistake in lifting the ball over him from 40 yards out and into the back of the net.

The visitors were buoyed by their opener, and were handed a golden opportunity to double their lead from the penalty spot shortly after.

A marauding run forward from Rodrigo Fortes was halted by Donohue, after the Villa left-back had rounded him, but Cotcher could only place his spot-kick wide of the post.

The Young Lions kept pushing, however, and – after Mulley and Junior Wilson had gone close with respective efforts – with half-time approaching, they had daylight.

Jenner won the ball back well inside Villa’s half, before Keilan Quinn released Mulley down the right-hand side. His ball into the box was missed by Cotcher, though Brannigan was on hand at the far post to convert.

The second half brought more or the same from Villa’s perspective and, within five minutes of the restart, they had a third.

Winning the ball back high up the field, Quinn teed up Cotcher, who in turn shifted it onto Jenner. He arrowed his effort past Donohue and into the bottom corner from the edge of the area to put Shan’s team well in control.

The visitors were in full flow by this point, and Brannigan was looking for his hat-trick. Having been played in behind by Cotcher, he flashed the ball agonisingly wide of the far post from a tight angle.

The introductions of Teddie Bloomfield, Markie Meade and Elijah Briscoe brought Villa fresh impetus, though with the Foxes pushing for a way back into the game, they had to wait until the 79th minute for their sublime fourth goal.

Bloomfield found Mulley with a sweeping ball out to the right, and the winger took one touch before sending an unstoppable half-volley into the top corner.

Leicester managed to pull one back moments later, with an impressive strike of their own. The ball fell to Hutchinson on the edge of the area, and he took one touch out of his feet before rifling an effort past Owen Asemota and into the top corner.

The goal did not dampen Villa’s spirits, though, as they made the short trip back across the Midlands with another three points before welcoming West Ham United to Bodymoor Heath this Saturday.