Morgan Rogers leads Aston Villa comeback as Leeds punished for passive second half

Aston Villa survived a chaotic afternoon at Elland Road and came from behind to beat Leeds United 2–1, with Morgan Rogers producing a superb second-half display to drag Unai Emery’s side over the line. Leeds dominated the opening 45 minutes and fully deserved their lead, but Villa’s quality in key moments — and their manager’s proactive adjustments — flipped the game on its head.

The victory keeps Villa firmly in the European hunt, while Leeds now face a brutal run: Manchester City away next weekend, followed by Chelsea at home.

This match had everything: a goalkeeping error, a disallowed equaliser, tactical twists, a goalkeeper world-class save, and a nervy final 10 minutes.

Leeds opened the scoring inside eight minutes. Sean Longstaff whipped a dangerous free-kick into a crowded penalty area, the ball was popped up in the air, and Emiliano Martínez spilled it under pressure from Anton Stach — leaving Lukas Nmecha to bundle it over the line.

Villa felt the contact was soft, but as one pundit put it: Martínez loves catching everything, but that’s one he should punch.”

Leeds’ intensity was the story of the first half. They pressed high, moved the ball quickly and were first to every loose ball. Aston Villa looked overwhelmed at times and struggled to match the tempo.

Leeds were “good value for their lead”, and the numbers reflected it.

Leeds were dealt a blow when Anton Stach picked up a muscle issue and could not continue. Moments later, Jayden Bogle was shown a yellow card for stopping a McGinn counter and kicking the ball away.

Aston Villa created little before the break, aside from Ollie Watkins curling an effort just wide in stoppage time. Leeds went into half-time deservedly ahead.

Emery acted decisively at the break: Buendía and Diaby were pulled, with Donyell Malen and Ian Maatsen introduced.

The impact was instant. Just two and a half minutes into the second half, Cash fired a ball across goal, Malen drilled a low cross, and Morgan Rogers turned it in from close range. Villa had found the urgency they lacked earlier.

From that moment, the match swung. Villa played with aggression and confidence, while Leeds, curiously, went passive — “unrecognisably so compared to the first half”.

In the 75th minute, Villa’s comeback was complete. From a free-kick in a central position, Rogers delicately dinked the ball over the wall. It wasn’t in the corner, and Leeds keeper Lucas Perri should likely have done better, but he froze as the ball drifted in.

The celebrations had barely finished when Leeds thought they’d equalised through Daniel James, only for VAR to rule it out for a Dominic Calvert-Lewin handball in the build-up.

Leeds pushed desperately for an equaliser and nearly found one. Longstaff delivered again from a set piece, and Pascal Struijk powered a downward header toward the bottom corner — but Martínez made a superb reaction save with his legs.

At the other end, Malen almost added a third with a driving run, only to blast over.

Having covered Emery’s sides for years, this comeback felt very “Emery-esque”: early issues, decisive half-time changes, and a shift in structure that tilts the match. In our view, the turning point wasn’t just Malen and Maatsen entering — it was the increase in numerical support around Watkins and Rogers, which created far more 2v2 scenarios that Leeds struggled to handle.

Although some might argue Leeds threw the result away through passivity, other indications point differently: Villa raised their technical level and tempo dramatically after the break. This seems less about Leeds collapsing and more about Villa finding their identity.

From a tactical angle, Rogers operating between Leeds’ midfield and defensive lines caused persistent mismatches. His movement forced Struijk and Rodon into decisions they didn’t want to make, and the winning free-kick came from precisely that pressure.

Leeds now face Manchester City (A) and Chelsea (H) in the next two fixtures. For a team that has played well in spells but lacks consistency, this stretch could define their winter. Villa, meanwhile, face Wolves at home on 30 November, then Brighton on 3 December — both winnable fixtures if they maintain this level.

Leeds travel to Manchester City next weekend — a brutal fixture given their form — while Villa will look to build momentum at home to Wolves.

👉 Leeds & Villa fans — was this game more about Villa’s quality or Leeds’ passivity in the second half?