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The Players Were Heroes, Says Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers hailed a heroic performance from Leicester City following the 1-0 success over Liverpool at King Power Stadium.

2021-12-29T10:33:09.282Z

by Sam Jones

Published

29 Dec, 2021

The Players Were Heroes, Says Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers hailed a heroic performance from Leicester City following the 1-0 success over Liverpool at King Power Stadium.

Sam Jones

2021-12-29T10:33:09.282Z

The Players Were Heroes, Says Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers hailed a heroic performance from Leicester City following the 1-0 success over Liverpool at King Power Stadium.

Sam Jones

2021-12-29T10:33:09.282Z

The Players Were Heroes, Says Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers hailed a heroic performance from Leicester City following the 1-0 success over Liverpool at King Power Stadium.

Sam Jones

2021-12-29T10:33:09.282Z

The Players Were Heroes, Says Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers hailed a heroic performance from Leicester City following the 1-0 success over Liverpool at King Power Stadium.

Sam Jones

2021-12-29T10:33:09.282Z

- Leicester City triumphed over Liverpool in Tuesday’s Premier League fixture on Filbert Way- Manager Brendan Rodgers commended a huge team effort to see them over the line- Kasper Schmeichel kept out Mohamed Salah’s penalty before Ademola Lookman netted the winner- The result and clean sheet held extra significance given recent results, Rodgers believed

Ademola Lookman’s 59th-minute strike - his second goal in three days - shortly after entering the field of play, ensured the Foxes picked up a fourth successive home triumph across all competitions and moved up to ninth in the Premier League standings.

Rodgers felt the victory against his former team was even more impressive given the context of playing league leaders and current champions Manchester City 48 hours earlier with a depleted squad.

They also became the first Premier League side to stop the Reds from scoring this term, keeping a clean sheet thanks to some courageous defending and Kasper Schmeichel’s stunning first-half penalty save.

City’s manager commented after the final whistle: “On the back of Sunday, you think of the recovery time and playing against Manchester City, a team that really work you. To come in and play against arguably the most physical team in the league, there’s some power and athleticism in their team.

“The players were amazing, how they coped with it against a team that really work the sides well. We had to be resilient and tough and defend for your life at times, but also show some great moments of football and none more so than the goal. I’m really pleased for the players and everyone.”

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall registered his first top-flight assist for the winning goal and, after delivering another accomplished midfield display, starting for the sixth successive game, he was picked out as one of the star performers on Tuesday evening.

“You see him tonight, his energy is remarkable,” Rodgers enthused. "That’s what we were going to need in the team, we needed legs in there so him and Hamza [Choudhury] on the side of the diamond in the first hour in particular, they had to put in so much work.

“Kiernan was still going right to the very end and he’s really starting to establish himself as an important player. I’m delighted for him because he’s a kid that has came through the Academy, he’s wanted to play for Leicester, it means everything to him and now you see his contribution in the team is very important.”

Offering insight into his thoughts on 2021 as a whole after wrapping up the year with a win, the 48-year-old views it as a successful one, securing the Club’s first-ever FA Cup triumph, followed by a second consecutive fifth-place finish and success in the FA Community Shield.

“It’s been a real historical year and, for me, another year of progress,” the Northern Irishman reflected. “The players are really progressing. Progress is never smooth, it’s never in a straight line, it’s in fits and starts I would say.

“But you can see with these players how they are progressing and how they are developing. That gives us great hope going forward into the New Year.”

Looking ahead to Leicester’s next task, the visit of Norwich City on New Year’s Day, Rodgers is adamant that the Canaries will pose a difficult test on Filbert Way, despite sitting at the foot of the top-flight table as things stands.

The Foxes will, of course, go into the fixture, their first of 2022, off the back of a morale-boosting three points, while Dean Smith’s side suffered defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.

The manager added: “There’s no easy game in the Premier League. It’s a tough game, especially with the challenges that we have with the players unavailable, but this is a real boost for us and now we’ve got to back it up and win the next game.”

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