Leicester- Aston Villa Player Ratings

[Thracian]

Henderson 9 (Great saves, spoilt only by his lack of two knees in Low's face just before he made his fateful clearance cock-up).

Maybury 7.5 (Excellent if only he'd demand all team-mates get out of the way when he's attacking a defensive header).

McAuley 7.5 (Difficult job done well generally/ Just the odd aberration).

Kisnorbo 8 (Same as McAuley but yet another goal)

Nils 8 (Perhaps his best game for the club apart from the first goal which highlighted a weakness). Worked hard at distributing the ball sensibly and supporting as far as his capabilities allow. Encouraging).

Sylla 6.5 (Touches, a few set plays including for Kissa's goal, effort, but no effect otherwise, hard to read, not quick enough going forward, and never able to spot what might be on soon enough. Sorry still not convincing to me.)

Weso 8.5 (Thank God he's back. Let's hope the grey skies are clearing)

Stearman 8 (Not flawless but another goal, real determination, relentless support, biting tackles, far better than Hughes has ever been this season)

Welsh 6 (Tried but never beat his man once. Still wouldn't have subbed him though).

Hammond 7 (Ran himself to a standstill but up against it and, again, had to feed off scraps which were hard to find).

Hume 8 (Colossus. How the hell did he find the energy to last. Covered so much ground despite so much close attention)

Subs: Low 2 (Predictably useless. Added nothing to the team whasoever and meant we had a handicap once more. I've given him two marks for one low cross into the box.).

Odihambo 6 (Was the only player to comprehensibly beat the Villa right back all night and if Leicester had the aerial players and the energy left to get the six or seven in the box that Villa managed on occasions, his final cross would have provided a winning goal. Another couple of good touches too but he's no Hammond. He needs the ball to feet and people supporting closely. But he's a fast learner. He looked unsure on his debut for the Academy but he soon adapts)

Kenton 6.5 (Did his job as usual).

Kelly 5 (Always up against it with the injuries and got tremendous spirit out of the side. Unfortunately gave us a handicap with Sylla and Low, made bizarre substitutions and didn't have a plan B. Guilty of allowing us to try and sit on 2-2 when, admittedly we were knackered. He was unlucky it didn't work (as is so often the case) because a forward made the sort of cock-up they are always likely to make on unfamiliar territory.

[Ultra]

Lowe's mistake was crucial, there's no getting away from that.

But all the players, Low included, gave 110%. And that's all we could have asked of them.

Expecting a team assembled at a cost of £700k to succeed where a team worth £100m, among others, had previously failed, was always going to be a very tall order.

Several of our players showed Premiership potential. Others didn't.

We know who these players are. Let's leave it at that.

[Simi]

Henderson - 10 - Brilliant peno save and reaction stop

Maybury - 6 - cleary does not want to be at the club,did ok though

McAuley - 8 - solid performance

Kisnorbo 9 - quality so comfortable on the ball now.

Nils - 8 - had a much better game was caught in possestion. other than that he had a great game

Sylla - 7 - good corner for goal,anyone sitting near d1 see what he did after the 2nd goal? legend ]

Stearman - 9 - played a great role in midefield all game spread the play well

Weso - 8 - chased alot and worker really hard

Welsh - 8 - postive game did well down left still

Huuuuuuumme - 9 - worked so hard again and desereved a goal

Hammond - 7 -still lacking a finish but worked hard and put himself about.

Low - what do you think??

Odihambo - 7 - seems bright prospect couple of decent flicks

Kenton - 8 - made our defence look alot solid

[Thracian]

Lowe's mistake was crucial, there's no getting away from that.

But all the players, Low included, gave 110%. And that's all we could have asked of them.

Expecting a team assembled at a cost of £700k to succeed where a team worth £100m, among others, had previously failed, was always going to be a very tall order.

Several of our players showed Premiership potential. Others didn't.

We know who these players are. Let's leave it at that.

it was a tall order but they bloody well did it - as I and others said they could. Had Villa won the match I could have coped with it but gross stupidity from our own bloke was too much. It just destroyed you.

[Daggers]

Welsh 6 (Tried but never beat his man once. Still wouldn't have subbed him though).

Absolute cock

[Thracian]

Absolute cock

Okay 5 then!

[lookwhaticando]

Stearman 8.95

Could you have come up with a more precise rating, or did you round it up? Sure it's not 8.949?

From reading the above ratings, the consensus seems to be that our players right up the spine of the team - goalkeeper, centre-halves, central midfield and strikers were brilliant (8 to 10 ratings) while our players along the flanks (notable exception of Nissa) scored lower (5-7).

I only managed to catch the last 10 minutes of normal time, then extra time, and it seems everytime a ball went high into our box, two names stood out - Kisnorbo and McAuley getting a head on it. From what I could hear, sounds like they dominated the airspace in our box.

I had no idea Stearman was in the middle, though! When I saw the teamsheets on my mobile, I (wrongfully, it seems) assumed we had reverted to the 'Two RBs on the right hand side' option that served us well late last season - the interchangable Messers Stearman and Maybury. But Stearman in CM! If I had known that at the time, I'd have been incredibly puzzled.

Sounds like the Stearman/Weso partnership did well tonight.

In retrospect, it's almost a terrible shame we hung on as long as we did (or we didn't finish Villa off in the 90) because now our walking wounded are getting that little bit closer to the walking dead.

[FNQ]

Simply outstanding. Great job lads.

[Fez of Mahrez]

Henderson 9

Maybury 7

Johansson 9

Kisnorbo 9

McAuley 8

Sylla 7

Wesolowski 10 - first one I've ever given. One of the best midfield displays I've ever seen by a Leicester player given the circumstances.

Stearman 8

Welsh 7

Hume 8

Hammond 7

Low 4 - not great but why the fock was he played on the left wing? Ask any Northampton fan how effective he'll be on the left wing. Angered me no end. His fault for the goal but these things happen.

Odihambo 4 - hate to say it and glad he got the chance but it was like playing with ten men at times.

Kenton 7 - thought he coped with Agbonlahor fairly well when he came on.

[breaker7]

Sorry I know Ive slated Nisse Johansson time and time again on here but he was amazing tonigh motm by far, (with henderson of course) but he was up against agbonlahor (one of the quickest and up and coming talent in the premier league, but he made agbonlahor look shite.

well done Nisse keep it upfor qpr

Just to add my tuppence worth on Nissa.

He got skinned for the first goal and then stuck to his man like glue for the rest of the match.

So great well done - but why the lack of concentration at the start ???

He also looks incredibly uncomfortable with the ball at his feet - which is odd for a footballer.

However - no slagging him or anyone as they all (except one) did fantastically !

[Sooper Steve's shin]

Henderson 8 - looked a little shaky at first, one or two dodgy kicking moments, but good penalty save and great reaction stop late in extra time

Maybury 7 - not bad, considering how long he's been out - kept at it

Kisnorbo 8 - very good performance

McAuley 8.5 - excellent, won everything in the air, always looks like he has time on the ball

Johansson 7.5 - at fault for their first, got stuck in after that - better than usual

Sylla 7 - lazy, frustrating but occasional good work

Weso 10 - immense - never stopped

Stearman 9 - see Weso

Welsh 8 - I like Welshy, good attacking threat, not sure why he went off

Hume 8.5 - ran his nuts off, always looking to spark something

Hammond 8 - also ran hard, just hasn't quite got the control or quality

Subs:

Low 4 - awful error for the winner, no threat at all going forward, looks lost - admittedly he was playing out of position

Odihambo 6 - a flash or two of something good, but looked very lightweight

Kenton 5 - late sub, can't remember him doing too much (good or bad)

[Ric Flair]

Henderson 9 - Made some horrible attempts to claim the ball in the first half, but in the 2nd half and extra time he was brilliant. It's just a testiment to our goalie's that Henderson can play like that and probably still not get in the next match due to Logan being a little more consistent. Well done Paul.

Maybury 6 - He frustrates me so much. Doesn't look interested half the time but then will get stuck in and you wonder what's going on. Not good enough for us though.

Kisnorbo 9 - Another brilliant header, and defensively he lead the back line well. Made some crucial interceptions and i'm glad he's back.

McAuley 9 - Almost flawless, never gave the ball away and won almost everything in the air. I think it will be very harsh if he gets dropped when McCarthy gets back. Doesn't look like he's never played at this level before. Superb.

Nils-Eric-Johan-Cruyff-Sson 10 - Where did that come from? He's been showing signs of playing well recently and last night he was sensational. I though Aglobonhar was going to give him a torrid night, but other than a few occasions he handled him amazingly. Was composed on the ball, linked up well with Welsh and got forward when need be. I actually wouldn't want Sheehan or Mattock anywhere near the first team right now if Nisse is going to play like this. I doubt they could be as composed as he was last night, that's experience for you.

Sylla 7 - Did some good things and some bad things. Far more effective than Josh Low and I hope Kelly gives Momo a run in the first team now. More effective than Hughes, Low and Maybury have been out there this season. His corners were dangerous and he helped out defensively. He needs coaching on when to release the ball and when to try and beat a man, but there's signs of ability there. He looks like he really wants to do well for us.

Wesolowski 10* - I don't want to let my emotions get the better of me, but Jimbo was exceptional last night and showed why he's capable of being one of the best midfielders this club has ever had. Not even match fit either and his energy, tackling, passing and vision were of the highest calibre. I simply adore him.

Stearman 8 - First time he's played there for the first team and he didn't look out of place. I've always said he could probably play anywhere outfield and look good and it's another string to his bow. Keeping up his excellent scoring record in this cup and in football in general. That's about 9 goals in about 50+ games, which for a defender is very, very good. Tackling was spot on, passing was just as good and he amde sure he didn't get dragged out of position. Could this be the new midfield pairing? I think it should be on saturday anyway, both had excellent games at QPR last season and it would be nice if they could again and there's no reason why they can't.

Welsh 8 - For the first 15-20 minutes he was our best player. I was pissed off he was taken off, unless he was injured or knackered I couldn't see the point. He was really up for it and winning lots of corners and throw-ins in dangerous areas. Looks more positive than when he was here last season.

Hume 8 - Hume was Hume. Always busy and against a premeirship defence he caused them problems. Didn't have much fall his way in front of goal but was unlucky with his 20 yarder that just whistled wide. Possibly should have passed to Eric when we broke forward on another occasion, that could have won it for us but I can see why he went for it himself as he's on fire.

Elvis 8 - His pace unsettled Villa and was one of the main reasons we played such a high tempo game. It's his final decision making that let's him down. Gets in good positions and then doesn't seem to be decisive. Getting better though.

Subs:

Low 4 - Dreadful. Kelly must hold his hands up and accept he's not cutting it and drop him for a while perhaps forever.

Odhiambo 6 - Hahaa, it was great to see him. Didn't do too badly. Was very nervous at first but once he settled in he made some good runs and the cross that Hume nearly got on the end of was good work. Probably a year or so away, but you never know. Looks like an Elvis clone, let's hope he can shoot.

Kenton 6 - Did well.

[Fez of Mahrez]

Wrong Ric.

Weso deserved 10.

[Ric Flair]

Wrong Ric.

Weso deserved 10.

I've changed it, what am I playing at.

[Vo Rogue]

Youngsters like Stearman and Wes can play anywhere on the pitch,barr goalie! The reason being both have the skill and understanding of the game, but more importantly as you could see late in the game, both were loving playing. You could see they were enjoyjng it. Long may they have that spirit in a Leicester shirt and may it be infectious to others around.

[City Fan]

Henderson 9

Maybury 6

Kisnorbo 9

McAuley 8

Johansson 9

Sylla 6 - Would be higher if it werent for his shite final ball

Weso 9

Stearman 8

Welsh 6 - Too light weight

Hume 9

Elvis 7

SUBS:

Odibobaloblob 6 - Naff start but then showed glimpses of magic

Kenton 6

Low -2

[Thracian]

Henderson 9 - Made some horrible attempts to claim the ball in the first half, but in the 2nd half and extra time he was brilliant. It's just a testiment to our goalie's that Henderson can play like that and probably still not get in the next match due to Logan being a little more consistent. Well done Paul.

Maybury 6 - He frustrates me so much. Doesn't look interested half the time but then will get stuck in and you wonder what's going on. Not good enough for us though.

Kisnorbo 9 - Another brilliant header, and defensively he lead the back line well. Made some crucial interceptions and i'm glad he's back.

McAuley 9 - Almost flawless, never gave the ball away and won almost everything in the air. I think it will be very harsh if he gets dropped when McCarthy gets back. Doesn't look like he's never played at this level before. Superb.

Nils-Eric-Johan-Cruyff-Sson 10 - Where did that come from? He's been showing signs of playing well recently and last night he was sensational. I though Aglobonhar was going to give him a torrid night, but other than a few occasions he handled him amazingly. Was composed on the ball, linked up well with Welsh and got forward when need be. I actually wouldn't want Sheehan or Mattock anywhere near the first team right now if Nisse is going to play like this. I doubt they could be as composed as he was last night, that's experience for you.

Sylla 7 - Did some good things and some bad things. Far more effective than Josh Low and I hope Kelly gives Momo a run in the first team now. More effective than Hughes, Low and Maybury have been out there this season. His corners were dangerous and he helped out defensively. He needs coaching on when to release the ball and when to try and beat a man, but there's signs of ability there. He looks like he really wants to do well for us.

Wesolowski 9 - I don't want to let my emotions get the better of me, but Jimbo was exceptional last night and showed why he's capable of being one of the best midfielders this club has ever had. Not even match fit either and his energy, tackling, passing and vision were of the highest calibre. I simply adore him.

Stearman 8 - First time he's played there for the first team and he didn't look out of place. I've always said he could probably play anywhere outfield and look good and it's another string to his bow. Keeping up his excellent scoring record in this cup and in football in general. That's about 9 goals in about 50+ games, which for a defender is very, very good. Tackling was spot on, passing was just as good and he amde sure he didn't get dragged out of position. Could this be the new midfield pairing? I think it should be on saturday anyway, both had excellent games at QPR last season and it would be nice if they could again and there's no reason why they can't.

Welsh 8 - For the first 15-20 minutes he was our best player. I was pissed off he was taken off, unless he was injured or knackered I couldn't see the point. He was really up for it and winning lots of corners and throw-ins in dangerous areas. Looks more positive than when he was here last season.

Hume 8 - Hume was Hume. Always busy and against a premeirship defence he caused them problems. Didn't have much fall his way in front of goal but was unlucky with his 20 yarder that just whistled wide. Possibly should have passed to Eric when we broke forward on another occasion, that could have won it for us but I can see why he went for it himself as he's on fire.

Elvis 8 - His pace unsettled Villa and was one of the main reasons we played such a high tempo game. It's his final decision making that let's him down. Gets in good positions and then doesn't seem to be decisive. Getting better though.

Subs:

Low 4 - Dreadful. Kelly must hold his hands up and accept he's not cutting it and drop him for a while perhaps forever.

Odhiambo 6 - Hahaa, it was great to see him. Didn't do too badly. Was very nervous at first but once he settled in he made some good runs and the cross that Hume nearly got on the end of was good work. Probably a year or so away, but you never know. Looks like an Elvis clone, let's hope he can shoot.

Kenton 6 - Did well.

Interesting reading as always.

If it makes your morning, believe me Odihambo can shoot. I just hoped he got a chance last night but everyone was too knackered by then to give him one.

Nils was extraordinary overall - passing to feet, supporting a bit, whatever next?. Question is, can he continue playing like that, even though RK would pick him anyway?.

If he can, sounds like Mattock might as well look around for another club cos I can imagine one big queue forming for his services!!.

Sheehan? Who's Sheehan?

[adam]

Henderson 9- well played. Best game hes had for us.

Maybury 8

Kisnorbo 9

McAuley 6- too slow didnt win enough and got turned to many times.(the new matt heath)

Johansson 8

Sylla 4- Useless. Never interested. Good corner though!!!

Weso 9 - best player weve got.

Stearman 7

Welsh 7- Should of stayed on.

Hume 9 - class

Elvis 5- cant control it, cant shoot. Elvis out.

SUBS:

Odibobaloblob 7- Id rather see him play than elvis. Least he can trap it.

Kenton 7

Low 3- what was he doing out there?

[dandannieldanok]

Henderson - 9 - Impressive saves and good punches, all you could ask for.

Maybury - 6 - Defended ok but passing was either negative or hoofball through him.

Kisnorbo - 7 - Was rattled a bit at times but composed himself well afterwards.

McAuley - 8.5 - Didn't look out of place against a premiership side, excellent aerial ability and good composure.

Johansson - 8 - Did brilliantly against Villa's fast winger, especially when Low came on because he was severly exposed.

Sylla - 7 - Good surging runs and decent set plays.

Weso - 8 - Passed nicely at times and got stuck in.

Stearman - 7 - Got stuck in brilliantly and fought for the cause but he is no central midfielder.

Welsh - 8 - Good performance, always looking to make positive runs. His substitution baffles me.

Hume - 7.5 - Unsurprisingly tired from the past games, rans his socks off once again.

Hammond - 7 - 100% effort and sometimes there was quality at the end of his hard work.

Subs:

Low - - Nobody who doesnt give 100% whilst playing for city doesnt deserve a rating.

Odihambo - 6 - Out of depth unsurprisingly but always gave the villa defence something to think about.

Kenton - 8 - Solid, good tackling and great composure.

Kelly - 7 - Streched the remains of a patched up squad well but the Welsh-Low change really didnt portray him in the best light.

Officials - 1 - I feel sympathy for Neil Warnock after that display .

[Candidcamera]

Great Performance - I think a lesson in who will make the grade eventually. Like the old days

Henderson 7

Maybury 7

Kisnorbo 9

McAuley 8

Nisse 10

Wesolowski 10

Stearman 10

Sylla 5

Hume 9

Elvis 7

Welsh 6

[Leicester Lass]

Henderson 7 - Until the last few minutes and extra time didn't have alot to do any why doesn't he catch crosses instead of punch them?? :pinch:

Maybury 7 - Some great last ditch tackles but was slow to react for the first goal. Did well considering he's not had much chance in the team this year.

Kisnorbo 9 - Awesome, coped with two Premiership strikers with ease and a goal to cap off his performance

McAuley 9 - Solid as usual, similarly to Kis looked to handle Baros and Angel with little problems.

Nisse 10 - MOTM, Agbonlahor rarely got the better of him, Skills is back!!!

Wesolowski 9 - Fought tooth and nail til the last whistle, brilliant considering recent injuries.

Stearman 9 - Great performance in an alien position, proved to be a very good makeshift centre midfielder, nice finish for the goal as well.

Sylla 6 - Better but still not much of a threat to Villa

Hume 9 - Worked tirelessly yet again, a performance that deserved a goal

Elvis 7 - Played well until being substituted, his pace looked to be a constant threat to the Villa back line.

Welsh 7 - Unlucky to be substituted I thought, had played pretty well up until that point.

LCFC fans 10 - Magic. Nuff said

[TAFKA Castroneves]

Henderson - 9 - Hendo had an excellent game, pulled off some vital saves to keep us in the match on numerous occassions. Only doesn't get a ten because everytime a corner came in I was scared he would miss the ball with his punches.

Maybury - 7 - Had a good commitment but made a few errors here and there, liked his attitude on the pitch - he was really up for it.

Johansson - 10 - Man of the match just for me. Nils had an unbelievable game, absolutly unbelievable. He was incredibly solid and marked out Villa's fastest and most dangerous threat.

McAuley - 8 - Solid, solid game from McAuley. He looked very good at the back and alongside Paddy K rarely looked like letting Villa in for periods of the match (tiredness later though made things a bit easier) This guy if he keeps it up is going to cause a huge problem for RK when Paddy Mc gets fit.

Kisnorbo - 10 - Excellence. Only made one mistake all night, scored a much needed goal and defended like a true champion. Villa could never get a long ball into the box as long as he was around.

Sylla - 6 - Best i've seen from Sylla for a while. I felt he started out of the traps really well but faded a bit in some spots. When he gets some more match practice in he (hopefully) should improve and put in some valuable performances.

Welsh - 8 - I was really surprised to see him come off in the second half, he was cutting in towards the box pretty well and having a solid game. Played better than Sylla in my view.

Wesolowski - 9 - Wow, just what we blooming needed in midfield. He would have easily had a ten if he didn't dissapear for long periods during the game - but when he was going he ran Villa ragid in the middle. His desire to get the ball really impressed me. Great performance.

Stearman - 9 - Now this one surprised me. I was a bit surprised to see Stearman in the centre of midfield but to Rob's credit he made an excellent choice because the boy was amazing. He scored, he played some good balls and looked absolute quality in a way I haven't seen before from him. Credit to Richard, he made a difference.

Hume - 8 - Took a while to get going but when he did I thought he was going to nab a goal. Great performance and an absolute pest to Villa.

Hammond - 6 - Got himself into some good and bad positions, made a difference but didn't really look that great upfront. Did okay though.

Subs:

Kenton - 8 - Came on and showed some excellence class, he could have gone on to get a ten if he'd been on the pitch more. Excellent stuff from Darren.

Odihambo - 6 - Out of his depth a bit but once he settled showed some signs of having some real potential. If the balls to him were better he would have been more of a problem.

Low - 5 - Didn't have a good game, but he was playing out of position.

Overall - 9/10 - Only the odd individual mistakes got us in any trouble, the lads all deserve a massive pat on the back.

[Louise]

Henderson - 8 - great penalty save and two fantastic saves after that in extra time, couldn't do anything with the last goal as it was deflected past him.

Maybury - 6 - anonymous mostly, which I suppose is no bad thing, he didn't make any glaring errors, when moved to midfield he seemed to think that mean standing 2-yards in front of Kenton.

Kisnorbo - 6 - some moments of brilliance, great tackles and stealing the ball from player's feet, followed by some moments of idiocy, at his best he was an 8, at his worst a 4.

McAuley - 6 - not as varied a performance as Kisnorbo, but still had some good and bad moments, his passing was atrocious but he made a few good interceptions

Johansson - 8 - very good game, showed that he is used to Prem players as he did when we played Spurs, a few wayward passes but a lot of good work to make up for them.

Sylla - 5 - most of what my brother and I said to each other during the match was 'don't give it to Momo', but they always did, far too many of the balls went to him and usually he couldn't cope with that. The effort and passion was there though, which I'm happy for, but there was very little skill. Didn't beat a man once.

Wesolowski - 9 - MOTM - phenomenal performance, was everywhere on the pitch tackling, putting in good passes, shooting (heh, badly..), never stopped, absolutely wonderful to watch and my highlight of the match.

Stearman - 7 - lively but uncomfortable, was missing a lot of the time in midfield, made a few good tackles when players were running down the wing but I'm not sure he did much work as a midfielder as regards passing or tackling. Not his fault he was playing out of position, he certainly didn't disgrace himself. Good goal, but why he didn't put more power on that header in the dying minute I don't know. Was devastated at the end - but will feel ok when on big bucks in the Prem under Martin.

Welsh - 5 - as with the Palace game, he started off well but faded quickly and it was right that he was taken off when he was. The first 10 or so minutes he was lively but their fullback soon had his number.

Hume - 7 - typical Hume never-say-die performance, beautiful commitment to the cause, constantly running and trying things, but not many chances on goal (not just his fault).

Hammond - 7 - held up play very well and was missed, IMO, when he went off. But as Hume's performance was typical-Hume, this performance was typical-Hammond with dangerous running but little to show for it in shots on goal.

Subs:

Low - 4 - Poor. Won more headers than Welsh but still couldn't get around to put a cross in. Absolutely stupid to loft the ball back into the box in the way that he did.

Odihambo - 5 - He had that one good moment when he got around their fullback and made a good chance, which shows that he has potential, but it was a baptism of fire and he didn't really get a proper ball to kick all night. Hope this experience works in his favour and he doesn't drop off the radar for the rest of the season.

Kenton - 6 - solid performance when he came on, made no mistakes, didn't have a chance to do anything attacking as he usually would.

[Sooper Steve's shin]

Seems to be quite a difference of opinion over two players in particular - McAuley and Welsh.

Personally, I thought McAuley looked extremely composed on the ball, very good distribution, always looking to take it off the keeper, made some great tackles and won every high ball. Not sure what else a central defender can do!

Welsh is always willing to make himself available, take the ball and run at people. Because he runs at pace, sometimes the fullbacks knock him off the ball or take it away from him. But I'd rather that than have a Momo who waits for it all to happen around him. IMO, Welsh can dribble, cross and gives 100% so no reason why he shouldn't stay in the side. Reminds me of Guppy too.

[foxes_fan]

Henderson 10

Mcauley 8

Kisnorbo 8

Nisse 8

Maybury 6

Sylla 5

Weso 8

Stearman 8

Welsh 7

Hume 8

Hammond 6

Odihambo 6

Kenton 7

Low 1