Pepe Reina’s mind games to try and put Jamie Vardy off his penalty on Monday night backfired when the Leicester striker called his bluff.
The Foxes were awarded a penalty when Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings was penalised for a handball from Harvey Barnes’ cross.
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Jamie Vardy taunts Pepe Reina after scoring the penalty
The veteran goalkeeper tried to put Vardy off by telling him exactly what he was going to do.
Vardy told Sky Sports: “The ‘keeper said I was going down the middle – and I was. So he’s tried to play my bluff and I’ve ended up calling his.”
The Leicester striker smashed the ball straight down the middle with Reina diving to his left.
Vardy then goaded the goalkeeper after winning the battle of mind games.
It was a tough evening for Reina in Villa’s 4-0 defeat as his howler led to Barnes’ opening goal.
The goalkeeper charged out to challenge the Leicester player on the edge of the box only for the winger to sidestep him with ease and score.
Vardy’s penalty was the second goal of the evening before the striker completed his braced when he fired home at the near post.
Barnes then grabbed a second when he converted from Marc Albrighton’s cross.
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Villa boss Dean Smith did not agree with the penalty decision as replays suggested it hit Mings’ shoulder but VAR sided with the referee’s call.
“I thought Michael Oliver got the penalty decision wrong. It’s a shoulder, Tyrone was sure it hit his shoulder,” said Smith.
“It’s a big gamble to call that as a penalty and I think his gamble hasn’t paid off in my opinion.
“However, we were very cheap on the ball and very careless on the ball and gave it back to Leicester too easily at times.”
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Harvey Barnes scored twice for Leicester against Aston Villa
“He’s made a mistake,” said Smith of Reina. “He’s come out to try and get the ball and he’s too late. He’s ended up doing Harvey Barnes’ job.
“He knows that but the goal comes from our throw-in in the corner when we’ve given the ball away – that’s my biggest gripe of the night.
“I thought it was our Achilles heel that was going to come back and bite us, in terms of defending set-pieces and allowing them free headers, but it was another big mistake for the first goal.
“Disappointing is an understatement. We wanted a performance and a reaction after the (Carabao Cup) final and we felt that we would have a chance here tonight. We are getting punished massively for our mistakes at the moment.”
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