Leicester got their noses in front when Vardy ran on to Danny Drinkwater’s 66th-minute pass to beat goalkeeper Vito Mannone before out-muscling Patrick van Aanholt off the ball to double the lead in stoppage time.
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Ranieri alluded to his tear-stained reaction to Vardy’s second goal by saying: “You make this job for the emotion you feel inside but it is hard for me to tell what kind of emotion”.
Manager Claudio Ranieri has studiously avoided looking too far ahead as the bandwagon has gathered pace, and the message has certainly been heeded in the dressing room.
Sunday’s 2-0 away victory against Sunderland was their fifth consecutive clean sheet, putting them within touching distance of the Premier League title and effectively ending Arsenal’s challenge after their entertaining 3-3 draw with London rivals West Ham the day before. Having made the fewest first eleven changes (25) of any other Premier League outfit over the course of this season, Claudio Ranieri has solid foundations to build on.
Leicester City have become the first Premier League side to guarantee their place in next season’s Champions League.
Leicester’s rise to the top of English soccer is widely regarded as one of the league’s most surprising events since Blackburn won the top division in 1995.
Vardy’s goals – his 20th and 21st of the league season coming in their 2-0 win over Sunderland on Sunday – have been crucial to that effort, but the Englishman was keen to give praise to Danny Drinkwater in midfield.
Sky Sports News HQ has also been contacted by a number of Leicester supporters who said despite being Gold members they have been unable to secure their seats for the game.
“There are people I have known for years and last year they were taking the mick and saying they weren’t going to pay to see them because they’re rubbish and now they want a ticket”.
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“He deserves everything he gets”, Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said of Vardy. “I have a public role and I try to be level-headed”, the former Chelsea manager said. “As long as I know the rough area where it’s going to go, I’ll be on my bike and chasing the ball down”.
