Rodgers: Players & Supporters Had A Connection
- Brendan Rodgers praised the connection between Leicester City’s stars and the Blue Army
- The Foxes beat Fulham 3-1 at King Power Stadium on Saturday
- Jamie Vardy scored twice, taking his City tally to 100 goals in all competitons
Youri Tielemans scored his first goal for the Foxes on 21 minutes, and while Floyd Ayité made it 1-1 shortly after the interval, Vardy netted twice to take his tally to 100 goals for the Football Club.
Urged on by over 30,000 City fans on Filbert Way, Rodgers expressed his delight following a victory during his maiden home game in charge.
“It’s a really nice feeling,” Rodgers told LCFC TV. “I thought that was a very good win for us, thoroughly deserved. We pressed the game how we would want and started to see the ideas that we’ve been trying to impose on the players.
“I thought they carried them out very well, so it was a good win for us. I said to the players beforehand that you have to respect these games, because these are games that the team have struggled with for a period of time.
“But if you go into it and stay focused and believe in your quality and do your work, then you’ll always have a chance to win.”
Ayité levelled matters early on in the second half, but City recovered well to go on and win the game through Vardy’s brace.
“It goes to 1-1 and it’s a disappointing goal from our perspective because other than that we didn’t give away much,” said the City manager. “The players showed that sprit and that resilience to come back again.
“It’s a wonderful pass by James Maddison that puts Jamie [Vardy] away for his first goal and from there, we had that intensity in the game. It was a great win.
“I’m so happy for the players and the supporters because they had a real connection with the team today. I’m hopeful that they can enjoy it and going forward, enjoy many more wins.”
Vardy’s 100th goal for the Club handed Rodgers a first win as City manager, and the Northern Irishman spoke highly of the frontman at full-time.
Rodgers continued: “He’s an incredible player and I’m very lucky he’s here. I’m very happy he’s here, but it’s not just his striking. I think that defensively, I always like my central striker to be able to press and be tactically good.
“From this early period working with him, he’s tactically exceptional, I have to say. He understands what it is we’re trying to do. On top of that, he’s a real, real major threat in the game.
“I think he showed in the first goal how unselfish he is as a player, a team player. He’s through on goal [going for] 100 goals, but he squares it and Youri gets his finish. I’m lucky he’s here.”