We Showed What We're Capable Of, Says Rodgers
- Leicester City can take enthusiasm from the 1-1 draw at Arsenal on Tuesday, says Brendan Rodgers
- The Foxes manager was pleased with his young side's second-half performance at Emirates Stadium
- Rodgers praised City's ability to turn the tide after enduring a phase of sustained Arsenal pressure
- He believes the point earned in the capital could potentially be crucial for Leicester this term
After making a promising start at Emirates Stadium, the Foxes endured a spell of pressure from their hosts, leading to Mikel Artea's side taking the lead through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
However, City recovered in the second period - a source of enthusiasm for Rodgers - and were threatening to secure an equaliser before Eddie Nketiah's 75th-minute red card.
Jamie Vardy got Leicester back on level terms with his 22nd goal of the campaign on 84 minutes and the visitors pushed for a late winner, to no avail, amid torrential rain in the capital.
After watching his side collect their 59th top-flight point this term, Rodgers outlined the potential significance the result could have as City close in on their second-best Premier League finish.
"It’s a terrific point," he said. "We’re disappointed we couldn’t win it, but we take the point – only our second here in the history of the Premier League – and it could have value for us.
"It could be a very, very important point for us. We’re greedy, of course, but we sometimes have to accept that we didn’t quite make the final pass in the final third of the pitch to win the game.
"The players gave everything. They showed a real quality and spirit against a team at the height of their confidence. We’ve come here and showed what we’re capable of, which was very important."
However, Rodgers also admitted there were phases in Leicester's first-half performance which required improvement - and the Northern Irishman addressed them with the group at half-time.
"We had a good start to the game, we showed good composure, but then it started to become too stretched, they got the goal, and then we had a spell a bit like basketball," he added.
"Kasper [Schmeichel] had to make two really, really good saves for us in that period. We just tried to rush the last pass, once we went behind in the game.
"Once we came back into the game, we were a threat through the lines into the final third, but we didn’t do that often enough in that period, we were too rushed."
That conversation at the interval led to a marked improvement of the Foxes' handling of the match and Rodgers believes it is an indicator of his young squad's willingness to take ideas on board.
"We addressed that at half-time and the second half was much better," he continued. "It’s something that is ongoing with this team. It shows you the youth of the team and there’s coaching required.
"It’s going to take time, but it’s then about how they react to the instruction. In a lot of the second-half performances, we score goals and that’s great because it means they’re coachable.
"We could sustain that much better. At 11 vs. 11, we had chances, but we kept going. Then, at 11 vs. 10, we worked it very well. In the end, we got the goal we deserved."
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