Lee Hendrie reacts immediately to Aston Villa v Leicester City controversy
Aston Villa were unlucky not to be awarded a first-half penalty against Leicester City, says Lee Hendrie.
The Villans secured a much-needed 2-1 win on Saturday (4 January) thanks to strikes from Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey in the second half.
Things could have been made easier for Unai Emery’s side if Jarred Gillett had awarded a penalty for a Stephy Mavididi foul on Boubacar Kamara.
Former Villa midfielder Hendrie was convinced it was a foul as he told Optus Sport: “At first I thought it was a definite [penalty], there was contact there, it’s a foul and that should be a penalty.
“I think Mavididi gets so so lucky, I really do. For me, there was a blatant knee while he [Kamara] was getting control of the ball so it should be a penalty.”
Lee Hendrie reacts to Aston Villa controversy v Leicester City
Coming off the back of a draw against Brighton where Ollie Watkins scored a penalty, there is confidence behind the Villans from 12 yards.
With that being said, a spot-kick against a resilient Foxes side could have been the difference between an easier and more difficult challenge, as it was, at Villa Park.
Once again, it didn’t feel that VAR gave the decision a fair review, which frustrated Emery with Jhon Duran, which is bizarre,
Mavididi quite clearly made contact with Kamara who went down inside the penalty area but the match officials moved on and blew for halftime just minutes later.
It is clear what the Villa Park faithful and Hendrie thought of the decision but fortunately, it didn’t matter in the end as the Villans took the win.
If it wasn’t for the excellence of Barkley and determination from Bailey, it could have been a different result that Gillett would have had to answer to.
In other Aston Villa news, Diego Carlos conditions have been received ahead of a potential January exit.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.