“From the beginning, it was a hard match”, said the Leicester boss. We believe in ourselves, we believe until the end that it’s important to fight.
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Victory over Norwich – a ninth game without defeat at home in the league – ensured Leicester will remain top heading into the visit of West Brom, themselves coming off the back of a morale-boosting 3-2 win over Crystal Palace.
N’Golo Kante is another Leicester player to have caught the eye and Ranieri believes a call-up to the France national team is the next logical step for the defensive midfielder. “When he received the ball I was saying: ‘Cross on the floor, cross on the floor, ‘ because they are very good in the air” and Ulloa, following the faintest of touches from Jamie Vardy, was in the right place at the right time to convert.
After wins against Liverpool and Manchester City in the previous two games, it looked as though the cracks might finally start to show after an incredible campaign.
Leicester are odds-on to claim a Champions League spot after mounting a challenge for the most surprising title triumph in Premier League history.
At the other end of the pitch, Cameron Jerome came close with a first-half header and Nathan Redmond forced Kasper Schmeichel into a smart stop on the brink of the half, but Norwich were tired to commit too many men forward as Leicester began to pin them back.
Branislav Ivanovic headed Chelsea’s victor in a 2-1 comeback victory at Southampton, who had previously kept six consecutive clean sheets in the league.
Leicester’s usual panache was fleeting and the final touch eluded them in the final third.
Ranieri reckoned he had been particularly anxious about this match with his players having had two weeks since the deflation of their Arsenal loss to reflect on what might have been.
“Then in the last 20 minutes it was open with counter-attacks for us and them”. We had a setback when we went 1-0 down. “We were well organised and then got the goals”. It is not only a result that can jolly the Norwich fans, but also the way players played against West Ham.
Michail Antonio’s fifth goal in 15 appearances for the Hammers was enough to secure the win for Slaven Bilic’s side.
He said: “I think they will be hurting after Arsenal and they will be targeting games like these to keep their title run going”.
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At the bottom of the table, Aston Villa’s mission looked ever more impossible, with them still seven points adrift of the pack after a Marko Arnautovic double in the space of five minutes just after halftime helped Stoke City to beat them 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium.
