Puel: Fantastic Spirit, Fantastic Character

- Leicester City draw 2-2 with Manchester United at King Power Stadium
- Jamie Vardy put City ahead with his 50th Premier League goal but a Juan Mata double edged United in front
- Daniel Amartey was sent off for two bookings but Harry Maguire equalised in stoppage time
- Manager Claude Puel praised the spirit his team showed to fight back

The Foxes got off to a flying start when Jamie Vardy rounded off a fantastic move to put them 1-0 up in the first half but a Juan Mata strike five minutes before the break drew the visitors level.

Mata again struck, this time from a free kick on the hour mark before Daniel Amartey was dismissed for a second booking, making City’s task a tough one to come back from 2-1 down.

They rode their luck as United pushed for a third but kept their nerve to eventually force an equaliser deep into stoppage time. Harry Maguire peeled off at the far post to meet Marc Albrighton’s cross and make it 2-2, giving the Foxes a precious point.

“It’s a good feeling,” reflected Puel. “I think it was a good game for us against a great team. We started well in this game. It was a fantastic first goal from a good position. We started it on the floor and finished with Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy. It was a fantastic goal.

“I think after we could have managed the ball better around the goal we conceded, but it was a good first half. We had a fantastic chance with Harry Maguire from a free kick too. It was promising.

“In the second half we started well also, with quality and we had a fantastic opportunity to score. Just after this opportunity we conceded the free kick and we had a sending off of Daniel Amartey. It was a difficult situation but we saw the fantastic spirit and character of the players.”

Despite United looking at some stages like they may accelerate away from the Foxes after they went down to 10 men, they kept their shape and with the backing of a vocal crowd, were still able to cause the visitors problems.

He added: “They (the players) proved that they can make good things on the pitch because they believed until the end that they could take something from the game. It’s a fantastic feeling to take the point.

“We made good opportunities and had good quality in our play. Even with 10 against 11, we played with good quality. We had good balance at that time and we kept the possibility of playing well and attacking against Manchester United alive.”