Puel: Fantastic Character
- Claude Puel praised Leicester City for putting in a spirited performance against Newcastle United
- The Foxes fell behind early on but emerged victorious thanks to a late own goal
- City have now won three Premier League games on the spin and sit eighth in the table
While the Magpies raced into an early lead through Joselu, excellent efforts from Riyad Mahrez and Demarai Gray either side of half-time overturned the deficit before Dwight Gayle’s leveler late on.
With four minutes remaining, however, Shinji Okazaki forced Ayoze Perez into bundling the ball past Karl Darlow and into his own net, securing a third successive Premier League victory for the Foxes.
Speaking to LCFC TV at full-time, the delighted Frenchman said: “It was a fantastic character from my team. It was a difficult atmosphere, we knew this. Also, they were leading but to win in the end is a fantastic feeling.
“It was a difficult game against a good team. We played with quality, we did well with the ball on the floor and we found the quality to score the second goal.
“It showed the fantastic spirit of the team, and so did the third goal. It is not our best game but this positive attitude was fantastic.”
Okazaki’s introduction in the 73rd minute served to provide City with more energy in attacking positions, a change which paid dividends for the visitors to help them climb up to eighth in the Premier League.
The Japanese forward was a constant menace for Rafael Benitez’s hosts and, following a collision shortly after entering the fray, he ended the encounter adorning a bandage following a clash of heads.
Puel continued: “It was a good impact, it was an impact to his head also! It’s fantastic. He worked hard with his team-mates for the team, which is fantastic. It is a fantastic spirit and attitude.”
While the Blue Army would be forgiven for basking in this latest victory, Puel says focus now shifts completely on Wednesday’s trip to St Mary’s Stadium to tackle Southampton (7:45pm kick-off).
“It was a good result, just this,” he concluded. “Now it is important to keep a good focus and concentration on the away game against Southampton. Time will tell but it is important to keep momentum.”