Ranieri Happy With United Point

- Anthony Martial opened the scoring before Wes Morgan headed Leicester level 

- Danny Drinkwater was sent off for a second yellow card in the closing stages 

- Ranieri praised the performance, which leaves City eight points clear at the top of the table 

Claudio Ranieri was satisfied with a point as his Leicester City side moved eight clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League table with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. 

Anthony Martial had opened the scoring on just eight minutes before City skipper Wes Morgan levelled matters with an excellent header before the break. 

That means anything other than a victory for Tottenham Hotspur against Chelsea on Monday night will see the Foxes crowned league champions. 

But Ranieri was not concerned with such statistics, instead urging his side to remain calm and keep building confidence from what was an impressive display against United, despite Danny Drinkwater being dismissed for a second yellow late on. 

“For us it was important to come here and get a minimum of one point,” Ranieri told Foxes Player HD. “We made a good performance, we reacted well and confidence is very high. We must stay calm and reflect during the week. 

“United started very, very well and for us it was difficult to play without Vardy as it was important to stretch the defensive line. Without Jamie Vardy it was hard, they pressed high and we lost a goal. 

“But after our goal we gained a lot of confidence though and started to play much better. I thought we could have scored another goal but the draw was okay. 

“If we concede a goal it’s much better that it’s at the beginning so you have more time to draw the match. After, it was an open match. We could score, they could score. It was okay, the performance was good and I’m very pleased with the result.” 

It was an impressive header from the skipper and while Ranieri was pleased to see him score, he again took the opportunity to emphasise the importance of the entire squad. 

He added: “Every time I ask them to make a performance, everybody must give 100 per cent and I’m so happy with our performance today. 

“He’s (Wes Morgan) very important. I’m happy for him but I’m also happy for the team, because we are a team and that is important.”