- Leicester City beaten 1-0 by Liverpool at Anfield on Boxing Day
- Christian Benteke scores to end City’s 10-game unbeaten run
- Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri says his side appeared nervous in the first half
- Foxes boss urges team to cleanse their minds ahead of Tuesday’s visit of Manchester City
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri conceded that Liverpool deserved to win , but refused to be downbeat after the Foxes’ first away defeat of the season.
A solitary second-half goal from Reds striker Christian Benteke was enough to settle an even encounter on Merseyside, ending City’s run of 10 Premier League matches without defeat.
Ranieri admitted that his side appeared anxious during the first half at Anfield, which prevented them playing with the pace and verve that took them to the top of the table.
But the Italian has urged his players to immediately refocus ahead of Tuesday’s night’s visit of Manchester City, as the festive fixture programme continues.
“We started to play so late, I don’t know why,” Ranieri told Foxes Player HD.
“In the first half we were very nervous, very anxious. We expected them to press very high and we wanted to play easy passes on the counter-attack. But we lose so many balls on the counter-attack that it gave Liverpool confidence and they continued to push up, which made it difficult for us.
“In the second half we conceded a goal from their first chance. We created another two or three chances to equalise and it was not possible. In the end, I think Liverpool deserved to win.
“It was unlucky, but sooner or later our first defeat away could happen. Now we have to clean our minds and focus on another fantastic match.”
Despite the defeat, Ranieri stressed that there were positives his players could take from their display, while admitting improvements need to be made with the ball in transition.
“It was a good lesson,” he said. “We showed good shape, we defended well and closed the space well, but we need to improve when we want to go straight away and score the goal.
“We were concentrated on our shape, but they found a good solution, a good finish to score a goal.
“We knew Liverpool very well. They press very high when they loose the ball. We were ready to play in this way, but it wasn’t easy.”