Date published: Thursday 10th December 2020 10:48
Brendan Rodgers was especially pleased with Leicester City’s first half as they secured top spot in Group G with their 2-0 victory over AEK Athens.
Leicester were 2-0 in front by the 14th minute at The King Power Stadium. Goals from Cengiz Under and Harvey Barnes put the Foxes in the ascendency.
This was how the score remained until the final whistle, as Leicester earned the three points needed to finish as group winners.
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The Foxes needed to only match Braga’s result to win their group. The Portuguese side beat Zorya 2-0, so Leicester finish top as a result of their head to head record.
Speaking post-match, as cited by BBC Sport, Rodgers was pleased with his side’s “excellent” display.
“I thought in the first half, in particular, we were very good. We wanted to start strong and aggressive.
“I thought we were excellent. We worked our shape really well, we had some great moments in the game. Second half we went a little bit passive midway through but everything I asked of the players they did.
“[Barnes and Luke Thomas] are two young boys through the academy. They have so much ability. We were trying to encourage them to run without the ball. Harvey Barnes was great tonight, getting in behind and Luke did very well tonight too.”
“[Under] is adapting to how we play. He has to work harder but it’s something that he’s working very hard on and he’s got great power and a great left foot. It was a great finish and great technique.
“We embraced all the games we’ve had. We have seen this as an opportunity to qualify as top but also for experience. A lot of our players haven’t played in Europe, so it’s been a great opportunity for us to use the squad. The level has been really good and the competition so far has been really good.
“With all the injuries that we’ve had, fourth place in the Premier League and qualifying for Europe, that’s a huge testament to the players to how they’ve worked and adapted.”
So with The Manchester Derby, Arteta on the edge, Chelsea making a charge at it and Mino Raiola more famous than most Kings…it sounds like a Big Weekend to us.