Lukas Nmecha gave Leeds United an eighth-minute lead at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday after a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check against grounded visiting goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Villa complained that Martinez was fouled when Anton Stach beat the Argentina international to a cross from Sean Longstaff, allowing Nmecha to apply the finishing touch in a scrum in goal.
“Goalkeepers are a protected species,” former Leeds and Villa defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Villa is not defending him convincingly at all and Martinez is not covering himself in glory at all.”
Lukas Nmecha gets the final touch to give Leeds the lead! 👏 pic.twitter.com/8gEpe2QWQJ
– Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 23, 2025
Leeds vs Villa: Nmecha goal
Nmecha scored his third goal of the season, having also scored in United’s 3–1 defeat at Nottingham Forest in their previous match on 9 November.
The free signing from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in June opened his account with the only goal of the match in his new club’s return to the top flight at home to Everton on August 18.
Third-bottom Leeds need a point to move out of the relegation zone, while the Villans would move to fourth with victory.
Leeds team vs Villa
Winger Wilfried Gnonto returned from injury on the Leeds bench, but central defender Sebastiaan Bornauw was absent with a knee problem.
Leeds United starting XI: Lucas Perri, Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sean Longstaff, Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, Brenden Aaronson, Lukas Nmecha, Noah Okafor
Leeds substitutes: Karl Darlow, Daniel James, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Joel Piroe, Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka, James Justin, Wilfried Gnonto, Ilia Gruev
Aston Villa team vs Leeds United
Centre-back Tyrone Ming and midfielder Amadou Onana were absent for Villa, but Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash and Lamare Bogarde were available following injury problems.
Youri Tielemans returned in place of Onana in their only change since the win over Bournemouth, with George Hemmings introduced on the bench.
The Villans have dealt with the fitness of striker Ollie Watkins. “Some players can have small problems, and sometimes he doesn’t feel 100% fit to play,” explained manager Unai Emery.
“He tries to work smart – sometimes by resting, sometimes by not doing all the work we do.”
Aston Villa from eleven: Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia, Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins
Villa substitutes: Marco Bizot, Victor Lindelof, Ross Barkley, Donyell Malen, Jadon Sancho, Ian Maatsen, Lamare Bogarde, Evann Guessand, George Hemmings
How to watch Leeds vs Villa: TV channel, live stream online
Kick-off on Sunday took place at 2:00 p.m. BST (09:00 a.m. ET / 06:00 a.m. PT), with live coverage in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra.
Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a one-day subscription, £28 per month for a 12-month subscription or £34.99 per month without a contract.
Sky Sports subscriptions include access to all 12 live Sky Sports channels and Sky Sports+, which offers live broadcasts and a dedicated channel.
Premier League results and schedule this weekend
Nottingham Forest’s victory over reigning champions Liverpool to climb out of relegation was Saturday’s most notable result, while Chelsea won at Burnley to move into second, staying ahead of Manchester City after the Cityzens’ defeat at Newcastle.
Saturday November 22
Burnley 0-2 Chelsea
Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham
Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 Brentford
Fulham 1-0 Sunderland
Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest
Wolves 0-2 Crystal Palace
Newcastle 2-1 Manchester City
Sunday November 23
Leeds United v Aston Villa (2:00 p.m.)
Arsenal v Tottenham (4:30 p.m.)
Monday November 24
Manchester United v Everton (8:00 p.m.)
