Leonardo Ulloa is already showing Aston Villa what they are missing

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Aston Villa failed once again to lure Leicester City striker Leonardo Ulloa to the Championship as he stayed in the Premier League with Brighton.

Aston Villa’s perfect 2018 came crashing down on Saturday as their seven-game winning run in the Championship was brought to an end at Craven Cottage.

Goals from Ryan Sessegnon and Floyd Ayite gave Slavisa Jokanovic’s high-flying Fulham a deserved 2-0 win over their claret and blue promotion rivals. And, in truth, it was what Villa deserved.

Steve Bruce’s side were far from their best in the capital, lacking cutting edge in attack and managing just two shots on target across 90 minutes. The hitherto in-form Scott Hogan and January signing Lewis Grabban were pretty much anonymous.

So Leonardo Ulloa’s superb header in Brighton’s 3-1 FA Cup fifth round win against Coventry City, then, could not have come at a worse time.

This was the Argentine’s first goal back at Brighton since rejoining his former club on loan from Leicester City last month; a trademark thumping header into the top corner.

In fact, it was a moment of sheer quality, the likes of which Villa simply could not produce 75 miles north in West London.

As reported by the Telegraph, Bruce was hopeful of luring Ulloa to Villa Park last month as he looked for a proven Championship striker who could give his side the firepower required to seal their return to the Premier League.

Ulloa, who had fallen out of favour at Leicester, looked like the perfect addition, and a signing that Bruce had missed out on during the previous two transfer windows. It was not to be third time lucky, however, as Ulloa returned to Brighton instead.

And he has immediately shown he has the quality, the presence and the lethal finishing ability to be the plan B Villa so desperately needed on Saturday.

After all, no one in Bruce’s squad can dominate a penalty area quite like Ulloa.