We Didn’t Build On Our Opener, Says Tielemans

- Goalscorer Youri Tielemans reflects on Sunday’s 3-1 Premier League loss to Arsenal
- The Foxes took the lead early on through Tielemans, but the Gunners hit back through David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pépé
- The Belgian says Leicester will aim to bounce back against Burnley on Wednesday

City were ahead after just six minutes, when Tielemans won the ball on the right wing and raced inside before firing a low effort into the bottom corner past Bernd Leno.

However, Arsenal were level on 39 minutes through David Luiz’s header, before Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty – awarded for handball against Wilfred Ndidi – saw the Gunners head into the break with a 2-1 lead.

The Belgium midfielder explained his side were seeking a positive response after the interval, however, Nicolas Pépé’s effort on 52 minutes ultimately put the game beyond the Foxes.

Tielemans told LCFC TV: “[We’re] very disappointed, especially when you score an early goal. You try to keep the score that way, or even kill the game from the first minute. That’s what we didn’t do.

“We weren’t good enough on the ball, off the ball maybe we were a bit too passive [in the] first half, and then we gave two goals away at the end of the first half, which maybe coming into the second half you try and push a bit more.

“But then, we gave straight away an early goal again at the start of the second half, which has been ongoing over the last couple of games now, and that’s not good.”

Tielemans’ sixth Premier League goal of the season was a well-taken one, but he admitted City did not build on his opener, and the No.8 was left disappointed at the full-time whistle.

“When you’ve got an early goal, you try to build on that, and even play better and be a bit more confident,” he continued. “Unfortunately, today wasn’t our day.

“It was such a quick turnaround, and then when you go into half-time, you try to forget what just happened and go again, but we didn’t do that unfortunately. They scored early, and then we didn’t come back into the game.”

Leicester now face the challenge of adding to their nine away wins in the Premier League this term when they first travel to Burnley on Wednesday, before a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion three days later.

“It’s a positive that we play so quickly this week,” he said. “We have a game on Wednesday where we can change things and try to bounce back and be more positive towards the other game.

“Now, it’s up to us to be a bit more consistent in our performances. We have to recover well, and we’ll see about Wednesday.

“It’s a disappointing day today, and from tomorrow onwards, we’ll have to think about Wednesday and try to win.”