Justin: We Had To Fight For Stoke Victory

- James Justin reflects on Leicester City's 4-0 Emirates FA Cup triumph at Stoke City on Saturday
- The 22-year-old full-back hit a magnificent opener from the edge of the box in the 34th minute
- Marc Albrighton, Ayoze Pérez and Harvey Barnes made sure of victory in the second half
- City were rewarded for naming a strong line-up at bet365 Stadium, Justin believes

Justin's exemplary opener was followed by stylish strikes from Marc Albrighton, Ayoze Pérez and Harvey Barnes in the second half as the Foxes booked their place in the fourth round draw.

While City were initially locked in a tight contest early on, the former Luton Town full-back believes that the visitors' quality shone through in the end, with Brendan Rodgers' naming a strong XI at bet365 Stadium.

"In the first half, they made it really tough for us," Justin told LCFC TV at full-time. "We knew it was going to be a hard game because they don't concede many goals usually.

"We just had to grind out, keep on fighting, and the result was deserved in the end. We showed how devastating we could be on the counter, which is obviously what we're known for at the end of the day.

"It just goes to show how much everyone wants to run for the team and always got that in the back of their minds, and [it was] clinical finishing at the top end of the pitch that sent us through."

With Jamie Vardy and James Maddison recuperating from minor injury issues, Rodgers made just two changes to his line-up from the 2-1 Premier League success at Newcastle United a week prior.

Justin says the side which ran out in Staffordshire is a testament to Leicester's multi-faceted ambitions in 2020/21 as the Foxes strive to be successful on several fronts this term.  

"We set out at the start of the season that we wanted to do well in the cup competitions," the England Under-21s international explained.

"Because we had a week break in between the games, we knew that we were going strong in this game and we needed to pick up the win, because we want to do well in the competition.

"There's no additional rest. At the end of the day, we're paid to work and that's what we do. We come in, we love our job and we just keep going."

The 22-year-old's opener, meanwhile, was a sublime effort which allowed City to take control of the game - and Justin was thrilled to contribute in an attacking sense.

"I just looked at him (Stoke goalkeeper Josef Bursik) and then cut in on my stronger side," he continued. "I saw another man coming, pushed it out and I thought, why not? 

"If you don't shoot, you don't score really and it ended up in the back of the net and I'm delighted with the goal.

"I've haven't hit one better than that. I don't score too many outside the box, so it's a rare occasion for me scoring, but I'm really delighted to help the team."