Maresca: Sometimes You Win Ugly
- Leicester City defeated Sunderland 1-0 in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday
- Jamie Vardy scored the only goal of the game at the Stadium of Light
- Enzo Maresca assessed a vital victory for his side in the North East
- A big defensive effort was required to see City over the line
Jamie Vardy got things up and running towards the end of a blistering opening quarter at the Stadium of Light, heading home beneath the travelling 1,364 Leicester fans.
Leicester didn’t have it all their own way, however, forced to defend resolutely in the second half to claim a vital clean sheet, and more importantly, a first victory in four Sky Bet Championship games.
“It’s an important win,” City’s Manager admitted. “Especially after three defeats in a row. Sometimes you have to win games in an ugly way. [In the] first half we were quite good, in the second half we suffered, but in this moment, the win is so important.
“The first half, especially the first half an hour, was unbelievable. We had many chances, we missed and we have struggled to score goals in these games. But at the end, it was important to win the game.”
There was a welcome return for Wilfred Ndidi in midfield, the Nigeria international managing 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute – his first appearance since the end of December. Abdul Fatawu, meanwhile, was praised for work both defensively and in attack.
“[In the] first half he was very good on the ball, offensively,” the Italian said on Fatawu. “I’m very happy. We need him, Wilf is so important to us so it’s good to have him back.”
Ten games remain in the race for promotion, with the gap at the top of the division remaining at three points. Winning, however possible, is crucial at this stage, with Hull City awaiting at MKM Stadium this Saturday (3pm GMT kick-off).
The 44-year-old continued: “As we said, we are in the final rush and it is important to win games. Tonight we won and it’s also part of the process to grow as a team.
“At the end, to win games you need to defend altogether as a team and tonight we did that well. It has probably been a long second half for me, but important that we win. Now we have to recover and go again on Saturday.”