Aston Villa striker Rudy Gestede came off the bench to dent

Leicester’s Premier League title challenge as his second half equaliser

rescued a 1-1 draw for the bottom club on Saturday.

Although Leicester moved one point clear of second placed Manchester

City, Claudio Ranieri’s side left Villa Park frustrated their lead

wasn’t more significant after Gestede’s first goal since September

cancelled out a first half opener from Japan striker Shinji Okazaki.

The Foxes should have been out of sight by the time Gestede equalised

and they paid the price for a series of misses, with Riyad Mahrez

especially culpable after his first half penalty was saved by Mark Bunn.

Third placed Arsenal can regain pole position if they draw or win at Stoke on Sunday.

This was another encouraging performance for Villa after a 1-0 win

over Crystal Palace in midweek gave Remi Garde his first three points as

Villa boss and secured their first league victory since the opening day

of the season.

But Garde’s team need points rather than plaudits and they remain

rooted to the bottom of the table, with a nine-point gap to make up if

they are avoid dropping into the second tier for the first time since

1988.

Robert Huth had been Leicester’s match-winner at Tottenham in

midweek, but the German defender almost gifted Villa the opening goal

when his miscued clearance allowed Libor Kozak to surge clear for a low

shot that Kasper Schmeichel saved at his near post.

That was far from Schmeichel’s only significant contribution as his

booming kick downfield helped the visitors take the lead in the 28th

minute.

Jamie Vardy alertly peeled away from Villa’s dozing defence to meet

the long ball with a superb lob that caught Bunn off his line.

Bunn managed to make an acrobatic back pedalling save, but Okazaki

followed up to slot home from close-range despite the goalkeeper’s

attempt to keep it out, with goalline technology confirming the ball had

crossed for his fourth league goal of the season.

Ranieri’s side had a golden

opportunity to double their lead four minutes later when a flowing move

cut through the Villa defence and ended with a penalty after Mahrez’s

shot was blocked by the sliding Aly Cissokho’s raised arm.

Despite missing from the spot earlier this month Mahrez took the

penalty himself, but the Algeria winger’s slightly too casual strike

down the middle was close to Bunn and the Villa goalkeeper made the

save.

Cissokho tested Schmeichel with a stinging shot early in the second

half before Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater’s dipping long-range

effort drew a fine tip over from Bunn.

Villa appealed in vain for a penalty when Huth swung an arm into

Kozak’s face, while Drinkwater threatened again when he flicked wide

from Vardy’s cross.

There was more menace about Villa’s attacks now and Garde sent on

Gestede in the 67th minute to add further thrust to the forward line.

The switch paid rich dividends eight minutes later when Gestede equalised in fortuitous circumstances.

First he got away with the ball bouncing off his arm and then benefitted from a Huth clearance that hit him in the groin.

Those two lucky breaks presented the Benin striker with the

opportunity for a shot that deflected off West Morgan and past

Schmeichel.