Extra-Time Talking Points: City’s Reward, Fitness Levels & Perspective
- Gerry Taggart, Iwan Roberts and Tony Cottee discussed Leicester City’s 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Extra-Time
- City recorded their first Premier League triumph in four games thanks to strikes from Kelechi Iheanacho and Demarai Gray
- The Foxes next face Newcastle United in the Premier League on New Year’s Day (3pm kick-off)
- Live coverage of the match will be available on LCFC Radio from 12pm
The Foxes emerged from a tricky encounter with West Ham United with all three points thanks to a 2-1 success in the capital following goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Demarai Gray.
A major talking point surrounding the fixture was the changes Brendan Rodgers made to his starting XI, and Monday’s Extra-Time panel lauded the City manager for the display they delivered against the Hammers.
City’s reward
Brendan Rodgers: “It was a massive call from Brendan Rodgers to change nine players. He kept probably his two most experienced players in the team, and you obviously had Christian [Fuchs] and Wes [Morgan] coming in too. It was a big, big call from Brendan and he got the rewards for doing that because they look a lot fresher.”
A fantastic three points
Tony Cottee said: “It was a poor performance from West Ham, but having said that, I was really pleased with how Leicester played, especially after the disappointment of not getting that many points in the previous three games. It was a fantastic three points for Leicester.”
Great fitness levels
Iwan Roberts said: “When you’ve lost back to back games for the first time this season, it’s important to get back to winning ways. It couldn’t have come at a better time for Leicester. It was a brilliant call from Brendan with so many games over the Christmas period and an important week coming up when they play Aston Villa. Brendan stuck to his guns, and to be fair to the lads that came in, they showed great fitness levels and that’s not easy.”
In control for 90 minutes
Tony Cottee said: “It was a massive win. It’s a strange one with cup competitions, you have a squad for a reason, and you want those players to come in and be ready, but when you make that many changes for a Premier League game, you’ll always worry about the performance. I watched the game and I thought Leicester controlled pretty much the whole 90 minutes.”
Satisfaction in London
Iwan Roberts said: “That performance and that three points because of the circumstances was as good as any other game they’re won this season. Going into it, having conceded seven goals, they needed to get back to winning ways. That will have given the squad so much satisfaction.”
A consistent Premier League force
Gerry Taggart said: “When I say you need perspective, Liverpool haven’t lost a game this season and Manchester City are the defending champions. When you look at Leicester, it just shows you how far this team has come in such a short space of time. Brendan is 10 months into his job, but without a shadow of a doubt, Leicester City are on the way to becoming a consistent force in the Premier League.”
All times GMT.