- Jamie Vardy’s second half double secures a point at St. Mary’s Stadium
- Ranieri credits the ‘amazing’ spirit in the squad for the comeback
- The Foxes haven’t lost away from home in the Barclays Premier League since March
After watching his side produce yet another stunning Barclays Premier League comeback on Saturday, Claudio Ranieri was full of praise for the mental strength of his squad.
The Foxes fell 2-0 down at half-time courtesy of Jose Fonte and Virgil van Dijk goals – both from set plays – but a brilliant brace from Jamie Vardy made it 2-2 and handed City a deserved point at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Mounting comebacks has been a familiar story for Ranieri’s team of ‘fighters’ this season, who now sit fifth in the table and an amazing 12 points clear of the relegation zone after nine games.
And while going behind is far from ideal, Ranieri was thrilled with the mental resolve of his players that helped them to maintain their belief in the face of a tough challenge from Southampton.
“I’m very happy because our spirit is amazing,” Ranieri told . “We have a very good spirit and we played very well but in the first half we were down two goals from the set pieces.
“Sometimes you can do nothing against a player who is taller than you. Maybe you can be a little smarter but they were taller and the second goal was maybe offside. But it’s OK. We played well and we were desperate to come back in the match.
“After the first goal we made a very fantastic finish. They had the counter attack but we covered very well and we created enough chances to win the match.
“I told them with our spirit anything could be possible. For me if we lose 2-0, 3-0 or 4-0, nothing happens but I want to see us fight until the end. Then it’s important to score a goal because the opponent is under pressure and we’ll have nothing to lose in this moment.”