Cooper: Good & Bad Things

- Steve Cooper reflects on Leicester City's 5-2 loss at Manchester United
- It's a result which sees the Foxes exit the Carabao Cup at the fourth-round stage
- Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady found the scoresheet for City
- Ipswich Town are next up in the Premier League on Saturday

Braces from Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, plus a solitary strike from Alejandro Garnacho, sealed victory for Ruud van Nistelrooy in his first game in temporary charge of the Red Devils.

Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady each got their first goals for the Club as well but they weren't enough to send the Foxes through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Although frustrated with the result, and areas of his side's performance, Cooper also found reason for optimism at Old Trafford.

"There’s some bits that we needed to be better on, but there were some other bits where it was bad luck," the Manager said. "I’ve just said to the lads, it’s so strange, we’ve done so much good in the game, but we’ve also done so much harm to ourselves as well. We’ve got to stop it because we can’t do that.

"The players will know that as well. There’s gratitude for the supporters tonight, singing right to the end. It’s not easy to see obviously, but we are grateful for that. We had good phases in the game but, at the same time, we handed opportunities to Man Utd which have cost us the result.

"As I was speaking in the dressing room, I said we’ve actually done well tonight, some good things tonight. We’ve also done some things – and in previous games – which are costing us the chance to win games."

Taking the lessons learned into Saturday's Premier League trip to Ipswich Town is now the focus for Cooper and his players.

"It’s a result we have to accept," he added. "It’s a little bit synonymous of how it’s been so far, in terms of there’s been some good performances, some bad, and everything in between.

"We’ll just keep going forward. We’ve got a good game to look forward to on Saturday.

"We need to regroup. We need to be angry about how we handed moments to United and some things which went against us and turn it into motivation to get the result we want at the weekend.

"I know there’s going to be – and there already has been – some bits that people will like and some bits that people won’t like. We’re the same, but I also know that’s the challenge this year. It’s never going to be straight-forward.

"It hasn’t been so far and it won’t be going forward. What I know is that we just have to stay completely focused on what we’re doing, believing what we’re doing, which we are, and I know we’ll succeed in the way we want to over the course of the season."