‘WE’VE COME UNDER A LOT OF UNFAIR STICK’

JAMIE VARDY claims Leicester’s players have been subjected to “unfair stick” since Claudio Ranieri’s sacking.

The England striker scored twice in the 3-1 victory over Liverpool last night – the first game of the post-Ranieri era.

Senior Leicester players, including Vardy, have rallied against suggestions they plotted the Italian’s downfall. And the 30-year-old, who ended a personal Premier League drought which stretched back to December, believes the win could be a catalyst for the struggling Foxes.

Vardy said: “We’ve come under a lot of unfair stick with the stuff that’s been in the press lately, and the lads wanted to put a reaction in.”

Asked what had gone wrong this season, he added: “I can’t put my finger on it. We’ve been working hard and it’s not been happening but tonight it has all clicked.

“I’ve been very frustrated with the amount of goals I’ve got this season but hopefully those two will push me on and there will be more to follow.

“It was definitely a case of (being damned if we did and damned if we didn’t) tonight. We just needed to show we’ve got that fighting intensity.”

Liverpool remain fifth, a point behind Arsenal, and boss Jurgen Klopp was frustrated by his side’s performance.

The German said: “It looked like we hadn’t spoken about the strength of Leicester and that’s a real problem. We have to work, obviously, and to try to do everything better next time.

“The performance from the first second was not good enough, and that’s how you lose football games. There is no reason for this. I’m not ready to look for an excuse.”