Rodgers' Disappointment Despite Evident Foxes Progress

- Leicester City finished fifth in the Premier League in 2020/21
- The Foxes also won the Emirates FA Cup for the first time
- However, City missed out on a place in the UEFA Champions League
- Manager Brendan Rodgers spoke to LCFC TV at full-time after defeat by Tottenham Hotspur

The Foxes were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur at King Power Stadium on the final day of the season to confirm the Club's qualification for the UEFA Europa League, although Rodgers was frustrated to miss out on the top four places.

"I’m disappointed if I’m honest," the Northern Irishman told LCFC TV. "In this moment, for the players, I feel for the people who run the Club. We were so close. I know what it means, getting into the Champions League, and how it would have helped us going forward.

"Naturally, we’ll have that disappointment, but over 38 games, we just fell short. The pride I have in the team, everything that went against them, how we’ve continued to challenge, working right to the very end... we just didn’t quite have enough today."

Two Jamie Vardy penalties saw Leicester leading and, albeit briefly, they sat in fourth place as things stood at the time in the second half, but once Spurs levelled matters for a second time, they were able to hit their hosts on the counter.

"With 15 minutes to go, 2-1 up, we didn’t have too many problems," Rodgers added.

"They obviously made substitutions that can change the game and we gave away two disappointing goals from our aspect today. We were then chasing the game that gives their players space and they have the quality to exploit that.

"It’s been nearly two years of football and this season especially has been really condensed. The players, the staff, everyone at the Club, will have a deserved rest. We’ll recover and then we’ll get back really excited and motivated to move on next season again."

Rodgers says Leicester's 2020/21 campaign must, however, be viewed with perspective and, after the Club's first-ever FA Cup win, the future looks bright for City's prospects in seasons to come.

"It’s been an incredible season for us," he added. "We’re just disappointed we couldn’t make that extra step. After 24-48 hours, when you take a step back and look at what we’ve achieved, two years of playing football and really challenging at the top end of the table, making progress in terms of winning the FA Cup for the first time in the history of the Club, it’s obviously something we’re very, very proud of.

"At this moment in time, the disappointment will linger for a period of time and then we’ll get ready, come back and look to fight even harder."