Puel: It Was A Bad Day

- Leicester City lose 3-0 to Crystal Palace at King Power Stadium
- Goals from Christian Benteke, Wilfred Zaha and Bakary Sako seal the points for the visitors
- Wilfred Ndidi is sent off for a second yellow card with the scores at 2-0.
- The Foxes remain in eighth position in the Premier League

Despite going into the match on the back of four straight wins, the Foxes fell behind to first half goals from Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha – putting the visitors in a commanding position.

City rallied after the break and saw a goal from Vicente Iborra chalked off for a foul inside the box, but when Wilfred Ndidi was dismissed for a second yellow card just after the hour mark, the Foxes’ task became even harder.

Palace substitute Bakary Sako added a third in stoppage time after City threw everything at the visitors’ defence, but in the end Puel was left to reflect on a difficult afternoon that he will hope the team can put behind them quickly ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Manchester City.

“I think it was a poor performance from us,” said Puel. “It was a bad day. We didn’t start the day with a good intensity or tempo, or good quality. It was difficult to find a solution.

“Our play was too slow on the pitch. We needed more intensity. It was not enough in the first half. In the second half we tried to react to get into the game. We had a goal ruled out and then just after Wilfred Ndidi was sent off, so it was difficult to create chances to come back.

“It is a disappointment after the good game at Southampton but it is now important to look forward, to learn from this game and to train with hard work. We need a good recovery because we need to be fresh mentally and physically.”

The Carabao Cup is next on the agenda for the Foxes as they host Manchester City at King Power Stadium in the quarter-finals on Tuesday night. It marks a busy period for Puel’s men but he knows they must bounce back quickly.

He added: “Of course we will have two quick games at home with the support of our fans. Then it will be important to improve this team. It was not a good game or good play, but my players showed in the second half they gave their best all the time.

“Not enough in the first half, but they deserve good support and we will try to give a good game against Manchester City. They are a great team, the top team in Europe, and we will see. 

“For the moment it is about recovery because we run a lot and play a lot. We need to be fresh physically and mentally for the Manchester City. That is the most important thing at the moment.”