- Leicester City ended the 2021/22 season with a 4-1 win over Southampton on Sunday
- James Maddison and Jamie Vardy found the net before a brace from Ayoze Pérez at King Power Stadium
- Manager Brendan Rodgers believes the Club can be satisfied with the eighth-place finish this term
- The former Liverpool and Celtic manager is already excited by what 2022/23 could bring
Goals from James Maddison and Jamie Vardy, plus a brace from Ayoze Pérez, secured a 4-1 win over Southampton on the final day. It means the Foxes finish eighth in the top tier which, although lower than the last two seasons, is still one of City's highest finishes in the Premier League.
"We’re very happy," the Northern Irishman told LCFC TV at full-time at King Power Stadium. "I thought we were a little bit tired looking to be honest. Early on, they were brighter than us and we looked a bit leggy, but through the game, we showed great courage. We stuck at it and kept going.
"Obviously, we ended up with four really good goals. Our objective was to win and put ourselves in a position to finish in eighth place. We were against a good team who can score goals, with good athleticism, and I thought we dealt with that really well.
"I heard before the game that if we finished eighth that it would be the fourth highest finish in the last 46-odd years. If you take away the Premier League win, two fifth-placed finishes and then eighth… I think Martin [O’Neill’s] team finished eighth too.
"I would say, for the Club we are and the budget we have, it’s a really good finish and now it gives us a platform to go and push again next season. The lap of appreciation... the supporters have been brilliant for us all season and it has been difficult for them.
"They've watched their team with a lot of the players not there, so that's been tough, especially with what they've been used to. They stuck with us and you can see at the end the support they give the players, which is great."
Following a run to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League, which ended in heartbreak against AS Roma, Rodgers has been overjoyed by the professionalism and quality on show. City end the season unbeaten in four, three of which were victories, scoring 13 goals.
"I said it before, a few games back, that we didn’t want to finish with a whimper," the former Liverpool and Celtic manager added. "We wanted to set a platform for next season and the players have done that with some really good results over these last four games. There's still a lot of work for us to do.
"It's important to have a rest, mentally and physically, but we'll come back again, and I'm really excited already about what we can do next season."
Maddison ends the season on 18 goals – his best tally for the Foxes – while Vardy finishes one behind on 17, despite long spells out with injury. Those returns, plus a final-day double from Pérez, leaves Rodgers pleased at the end of another top-flight campaign.
"[Maddison and Vardy] showed the quality and talent they both have and they’ll be very important for us next season," he explained. "[Pérez] has a great record against Southampton. He scored a hat-trick in his last game for Newcastle and then he scored a hat-trick down in the 9-0 game.
"In the structure, he’s got an eye for goal and he worked hard. He’s done well when he’s come into the games. His finishes were really good."