Rodgers: Resilience & Spirit
- Leicester City showed their resilience and spirit to snatch a 2-1 triumph at Burnley, according to Brendan Rodgers
- Rodgers highlighted his side’s positive mentality after they were reduced to 10 men after only four minutes
- Wes Morgan scored the winning goal for City at Turf Moor, adding to James Maddison's lovely free-kick
Harry Maguire’s fourth-minute dismissal saw City get off to a difficult start at Turf Moor, but Rodgers’ men went ahead on 33 minutes thanks to a sweet free-kick from attacking midfielder James Maddison.
Dwight McNeil restored parity shortly after, but substitute Wes Morgan’s 90th-minute header rewarded the Foxes with all three points after a defiant display in Lancashire.
“It was a really resilient performance,” Rodgers told LCFC TV at the full-time whistle. “I thought we started the game well. In the first five minutes, we were bright and we got on the front foot.
“Then, obviously to lose a man so early in the game can really affect the team, but the boys showed a wonderful resilience and a mentality in the game.
“We got in front, gave away a disappointing goal from our perspective, and then it’s a case of just getting them in at half-time and looking at one or two elements tactically, then making sure we defend well and take the opportunities when they come.
“I’m so pleased for them, because I said before the game that style alone won’t get you points here at Burnley. It’s a tough place to come and always has been, so you really have to earn it. I felt the players did that.”
Rodgers felt that while Burnley had a one-man advantage, City proved to be difficult to break down and defended as a unit when out of possession.
The manager continued: “They had a decent control of the game without the ball. You don’t always have to have the ball to control the game. They got into good shape and they were hard to play through.
“We know we’ve got that pace on the counter-attack, but first and foremost, you have to defend well as a unit and they all did that. We’ve got a lot of young players that will have gained a lot of experience from that today.
“The big guy (Wes Morgan), steps up at the end with a wonderful header, so I’m so pleased for him.”
Morgan’s introduction on six minutes was intended to stabilise the City defence after Maguire was shown a red card, but it proved to be vital at the other end of the pitch after he headed home the winner.
Rodgers said of the Leicester skipper: “He came into the game [early on] and he’s very experienced, Wes.
“I’d said to him yesterday that I felt that he would come into the game, especially if Peter Crouch came on.
"I told him to be ready, but he was ready long before that! He did very well.”