Ranieri: I Love These Players

- The Foxes come from 2-0 down with 20 minutes remaining to win three points that move them into second in the league. 

- Ritchie De Laet, Jamie Vardy and debutant Nathan Dyer score for City 

- City now a Club record nine Premier League games without defeat 

Claudio Ranieri hailed an ‘unbelievable’ comeback from his Leicester City side as they fought back to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and move to second in the Barclays Premier League. 

Goals from Jack Grealish and Carles Gil had Villa 2-0 up at King Power Stadium with just 20 minutes remaining, but Ritchie De Laet, Jamie Vardy and debutant Nathan Dyer struck near the death to secure the victory. 

It was a game that will live long in the memory and moves the Foxes up into second on 11 points behind Manchester City, but also one that sets a new Club record of nine Premier League games without defeat. 

And afterwards, the manager was keen to praise that all important fighting spirit that has become a real strength of the current squad – who never once looked like giving up against their opponents. 

“It’s unbelievable,” Ranieri told Foxes Player HD. “A great result, a great performance and great spirit. It’s unbelievable. I love these players because of this character. They never, ever give up. That’s the spirit that I want. 

“I talked to the players and told them we are a good group with good spirit and we must continue this way. That is very important for us. Now there are just 29 points to our goal. It’s important to achieve that as soon as possible.” 

With the team 2-0 down, Ranieri opted to bring on both N’Golo Kante and Leo Ulloa – a move that he felt helped give the team a platform to mount their comeback. 

“I watched the players and they were very intense,” he added. “They wanted to do something. Then I tried to change something to give them the opportunity to try to do something more. 

“It was very, very good and the players understood the message from the bench. It was unbelievable, well done guys. 

“[At half time] The message was that they (Villa) were winning all the duels and the tackles. They were keeping possession better than us but we wanted to fight. If we fight we are a very good team. If we don’t fight we are a normal team. That is the difference. 

“It (momentum) is important. I talked to the players and I told them it’s important to restart our league today, as if we’re on zero points. It was important to restart well. The first half wasn’t bad, but the second half was amazing.”