Defender Fofana omitted as Foxes beaten by Saints
Brendan Rodgers says Wesley Fofana was left out of the squad for Leicester’s 2-1 defeat to Southampton because the Chelsea target was not in the right frame of mind to play.
The 21-yearold defender was conspicuous by his absence as the Foxes slumped to defeat.
James Maddison’s free-kick put Leicester ahead early in the second half, but Che Adams’ introduction changed the dynamics, with the super sub lashing home a leveller, before scoring a sublime scissor-kick as Saints ran out winners.
“Very disappointed with the result,” Leicester boss Rodgers said. “We started the game well and as soon as we went in front I think we showed that desperation to get the result.
“In terms of Wesley, he’s a young player who is not quite in the right frame of mind at the moment to play.
“He’s a good kid, he’s been great for us and it’s a difficult one for him.”
There was no such issues in the visiting camp, with Saints again showing their new-found steely resolve.
Last week they recovered from a twogoal deficit to draw 2-2 with Leeds and they bounced back here to beat the Foxes. Boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “There is a team that is super believing in what we’re doing.
“This was very, very good to watch.”
Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard bemoaned a “harsh” VAR penalty decision after his side surrendered the lead to suffer a 3-1 loss at Crystal Palace.
Referee Andy Madley pointed to the spot after reviewing footage of Marc Guehi’s goalbound header brushing the outstretched arm of Lucas Digne.
Wilfried Zaha scored on the rebound from the spot-kick – his second goal of the afternoon after earlier equalising – before sub Jean-Philippe Mateta sealed the Eagles’ maiden season win.
“Some people will say, ‘It’s the rules, it’s a definite pen, it’s a stonewall pen’,” said Gerrard, whose side led through Ollie Watkins’ fifth-minute effort.
“For me, it’s harsh. I’m not sure what Lucas can do in the situation. He tries to compete honestly for the ball, he tries to jump naturally.
“He’s not trying to gain an advantage or stop the header on goal. It’s a complete accident.”
Palace also had a Jeffrey Schlupp goal disallowed for offside.
Eagles boss Patrick Vieira hailed “one of the best” performances of his tenure.
“I’m really happy,” he said. “From the first minute until the last we played with a lot of intensity and I was really proud of the players.
“It’s one of the most consistent performances that we had from the start to the end.”
In the late game, Martin Odegaard scored twice in the first 11 minutes as Arsenal went on to beat Bournemouth 3-0, with William Saliba adding the third.