Shakespeare Pride As Foxes Triumph Over Stoke

- Leicester City secure a fourth straight Premier League victory after a 2-0 triumph over Stoke City at King Power Stadium

- Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy score either side of half time to move City six points clear of the relegation zone

- Craig Shakespeare hails the importance of scoring the first goal after Ndidi's stunner

- The manager praised the impact of Demarai Gray and Yohan Benalouane

Wilfred Ndidi opened the scoring at King Power Stadium with a goal of the season contender as he found the top corner from long range, while Jamie Vardy’s stunning volley just after half time secured the three points. 

The win maintains Shakespeare’s 100 percent record as manager, with five wins in all competitions and four in the Premier League. He joins Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Gus Hiddink and Jose Mourinho as the only manager to win their first four games in the competition. 

Shakespeare’s charges have now stretched the gap to the bottom three to six points ahead of a crucial clash with bottom club Sunderland at King Power Stadium on Tuesday night. For now though, the manager was happy to reflect on a host of positives to come out of the game. 

“I’m very proud,” said the manager of securing his fourth-straight Premier League win. “You sometimes have to pinch yourself in terms of some of the names mentioned. I know I’m in the very early stages of my management career but to be mentioned in the same breath as them makes me proud but I realise that there are a lot of people to thank along the way. That's in terms of my previous managers when I’ve been an assistant but also the players as well. 

“The game today never felt comfortable. I did feel that the first goal was going to be important and what a goal it was by the way. He has scored one like that before for us but it gave us a foothold in the game and I thought that was important. 

“Then the timing of the second goal was very important to settle everyone down and allowed us to try to express ourselves. We could have scored a few more but Stoke asked a few more questions of us in the second half in terms of putting more balls into our box. I’m really pleased with the clean sheet and the three points.” 

Demarai Gray came in for Marc Albrighton in the only change to the starting XI and Shakespeare was delighted with how he fared, as well as Yohan Benalouane, who continued in defence in the absence of Wes Morgan. 

Shakespeare explained: “Marc turned up today with flu-like symptoms. We thought it was best to let him go home and not be in and around the players to spread it. It opens the door for somebody else. I’ve spoken to the players before to say that you never know when your opportunity will come. You have to be ready to take it. I thought Demarai [Gray] had a very, very good game. 

“Yohan [Benalouane] has shown in the last couple of games some very assured performances. He’s had to be more patient than maybe anybody at the Football Club, mainly because of the form of [Wes] Morgan and [Robert] Huth but he has taken his chance very, very well.”