A Really Good Night, Says Rodgers
- Leicester City defeated Nottingham Forest 4-0 at King Power Stadium on Monday
- Manager Brendan Rodgers was thrilled with the intensity of City's performance
- James Maddison scored twice and Harvey Barnes and Patson Daka also netted
- Rodgers praised the supporters for their contribution to a memorable night
In the first top-flight encounter with East Midlands rivals Forest since 1999, an excellent brace from James Maddison, either side of Harvey Barnes' stylish strike, put City on course for a first win of 2022/23. Patson Daka then added a fourth on a memorable night at King Power Stadium.
It's a result which ends a six-game losing streak in the Premier League and lifts Leicester off the foot of the table, with Forest taking their place in 20th. Rodgers, speaking at full-time on Filbert Way, paid tribute to the role the Blue Army played in a morale-boosting victory.
"It’s a big thank you to [the fans] because we needed that," the Northern Irishman said. "They were right behind the team and it’s a great night for them.
"It was a brilliant night for the supporters and the players. The intensity, right from the very first whistle, was there. The desire to win the ball was there and then we played some fantastic football and scored some great goals. It was a really good night for us."
In City's first match back since the international break, the home side were in a ruthless mood, racing into a three-goal lead before the interval. Rodgers feels that break offered the squad a chance to evaluate their season so far and focus on repairing their early-season form.
"I felt the international break gave us the chance to reset," he added. "It’s been a tough market for us over the summer and then the first seven games, with the opponents we had, and everything that went on.
"It gave us a chance to reset and refocus and we knew this was going to be a huge game, not just in terms of points and the performance, but for the supporters because, last season, we let them down. We made up for that tonight. They’ll be proud of the team, the four goals and the clean sheet."
Maddison, on the other hand, has been a star performer for the Foxes this season - and Rodgers credited his 'fantastic' No.10.
"He’s one of the top players in the country," the former Liverpool and Celtic manager continued. "It’s such a shame he isn’t able to demonstrate that at the highest [international] level so I can only pray for him that he gets an opportunity to at least be in the squad. To have a player like that, he’s fantastic."
Now, the priority will be on building momentum and climbing the table. Next up for City is a trip to Vitality Stadium to face AFC Bournemouth next weekend.
"It’s very important," Rodgers said. "We always felt that this run of games was going to give us a chance to get a foothold back in the league again. It’s a good start for us, but there’s a lot of work to do and we’ll get focused for Bournemouth."