Ranieri: We Must Stay Together

- Leicester City beaten 2-1 in the Premier League by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light

- Manager Claudio Ranieri calls for his side to stick together as they look to turn their form around

- A Robert Huth own goal and a Jermain Defoe strike gave the hosts a 2-0 lead

Claudio Ranieri underlined the importance of staying together after his Leicester City side slipped to a narrow 2-1 Premier League defeat at the hands of Sunderland.

The Foxes fell behind to an own goal from Robert Huth and a Jermain Defoe strike in the second half and despite Shinji Okazaki pulling one back, it wasn't to be for Leicester at the Stadium of Light.

It was a result that keeps the Foxes among a host of teams fighting for points in a tight bottom half of the table, and for the manager, it's as important as ever to stick together.

"After that we played better and I think both teams had the chances to score the goals and win the match.

"They scored first with the own goal and after that it was difficult. They scored another goal and after that we reacted very well to open the match but it wasn't enough.

"Last season everything was right, starting with luck. We must continue to work hard and maintain the right balance within ourselves. 

"The battle is long but that is football. There are good moments and bad moments. In the bad moments, we must stay together as we are."