Leicester City have continued their fight for survival in the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the King Power Stadium this afternoon.

Paul Konchesky nabbed the only goal of the game, which ended in Leicester's Matty James getting sent off for a dangerous challenge on Jores Okore.

Ciaran Clark was also given his marching orders following a second bookable offence when he confronted James angrily after the challenge.

Below, Sports Mole rates all of the players who featured in the Midlands derby.

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Goal

Ben Hamer: He had a relatively quiet game as Villa failed to pose much of a threat on goal, but when his services were required, he carried them out with ease. (6/10)

Defence

Paul Konchesky: The defender got on the scoresheet with a clean strike in first-half stoppage time and was able to prevent Agbonlahor from causing much of a threat. (8/10)

Wes Morgan: He was solid in defence throughout the match and managed to make a number of vital blocks to prevent Villa from finding the back of the net. (8/10)

Marcin Wasilewski: Like Morgan, Wasilewski made some important blocks and was comfortable carrying out his defensive duties. (7/10)

Danny Simpson: He did relatively well, but did not offer much attacking threat as he was focused on trying to keep Cole quiet. (6/10)

Midfield

Marc Albrighton: The former Villa man impressed throughout the game and became a thorn in Villa's side going forward. He contributed to the majority of Leicester's attacks and also came close to getting on the scoresheet himself. (9/10)

Matty James: The midfielder's overall performance was strong as he tried to close down Villa in the middle of the park, but his late challenge on Okore, which resulted in a straight red card, was foolish and unnecessary. (4/10)

Dean Hammond: He could have won a penalty for his side in the first half and he continued to cause trouble for Villa and read the game well. (7/10)

Anthony Knockaert: He was involved in a lot for Leicester today and was able to get some decent crosses into the strikers. (7/10)

Attack

Leonardo Ulloa: The forward held the ball up strongly this afternoon and combined well with Nugent, but he was unable to get on the scoresheet himself. (6/10)

David Nugent: On another day, Nugent could have had a hat-trick, but he squandered a few chances throughout the match. Despite failing to score, the Liverpool-born forward made it difficult for Villa's defence. (7/10)

Substitutes

Jamie Vardy: He got himself in decent positions going forward and kept possession well, but was not a constant attacking threat when he came on. (6/10)

Tom Lawrence: The forward came on in the second half, but was unable to cause much of a problem to Villa. (5/10)

Andy King: He came on to see the game out and carried out his role. (5/10)

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Goal

Brad Guzan: If it was not for some crucial saves from the American, Villa would have suffered a heavier defeat on their travels this afternoon. (8/10)

Defence

Alan Hutton: He was lucky not to have given a penalty away when he blocked Dean Hammond in the box and he struggled to keep Knockaert quiet. (5/10)

Jores Okore: He was quite sloppy at times at the back and gave the ball away cheaply. If it was not for Guzan, Okores could have been singled out if more goals were conceded. (4/10)

Ciaran Clark: The defender started off strongly by reading the game well and he also made some important tackles, but he was sent off towards the end of the game for almost coming to blows with James. (4/10)

Aly Cissokho: He got himself into good positions moving forward, but he did not offer much as an attacking threat. He also struggled to cope with Albrighton's pace. (4/10)

Midfield

Ashley Westwood: The midfielder showed promise and kept possession well as he tried to search for attacking options. (6/10)

Carlos Sanchez: He struggled throughout the match and gave the ball away in dangerous areas numerous times. (4/10)

Tom Cleverley: It was a disappointing afternoon for the Manchester United loanee as he struggled for options and squandered a good chance to score. (5/10)

Attack

Joe Cole: Largely ineffective and summed up Villa's performance by knocking the ball behind the byline when delivering a corner kick. (4/10)

Gabriel Agbonlahor: He tried to cause trouble in the early stages of the match, but faded as time went on. His pace was unable to frustrate a solid Leicester back line. (4/10)

Christian Benteke: The Belgian grew into the game, but he became more and more frustrated when chances were snuffed out. He also ran into offside positions numerous times. (5/10)

Substitutes

Andreas Weimann: Came onto the field with 73 minutes gone, but was unable to get Villa back into the game. (5/10)

Kieran Richardson: Had a good chance to score the equaliser, but missed the opportunity. (5/10)

Charles N'Zogbia: He was brought on with just two minutes of normal time remaining and had little impact. (5/10)

Written by
Danielle Joynson