Marti Cifuentes hails Leicester’s attitude and character after Derby victory

Marti Cifuentes praised Leicester’s attitude and character as they beat Derby 2-1 to ease some of the pressure on his shoulders following a difficult start to the season.

First-half goals from Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Jordan James, with an equaliser from Rhian Brewster sandwiched in-between, prevented the hosts from slipping to a third straight defeat which, given the state of play in the Sky Bet Championship, would have left the Spaniard facing even greater scrutiny.

Instead, with the Foxes now four points outside of the play-off positions, it was the board rather than the boss who faced the ire of a fan base still smarting from last term’s relegation.

After losses to his former employers QPR and Watford, Cifuentes was ecstatic when De Cordova-Reid converted Abdul Fatawu’s cutback after only six minutes.

Brewster curbed those celebrations with a carbon-copy effort after combining with Callum Elder three minutes later but, moments before the interval, James netted what proved to be the decisive strike of the contest having latched onto Luke Thomas’ hooked pass forward.

Cifuentes said: “It was important for us after a difficult week. I am very pleased for the guys because they showed a lot of effort, mental resilience and character if you want.

“It was disappointing to concede after taking the lead but the guys reacted strongly from a mental perspective.

“I am so happy for the fans as well, because of the backing they gave us and that is exactly the kind of atmosphere I really enjoy.

“I am not pleased about the fact we could not keep a clean sheet but I am happy for the character.”

Confirming victory came at a cost with Hamza Choudhury (knee) and Aaron Ramsey (hamstring) both sustaining injuries, and Cifuentes added: “With Hamza, it is too early to say. Aaron has had this problem before and it is the same one, which is such a shame because he’s worked so hard and it is mentally very difficult for him.

“The impact from the bench was excellent, though, with everyone making a contribution. Again, that showed real character and it’s what we are going to need.”

Despite the result, Leicester’s performance was far from convincing, with Derby substitute Andreas Weimann nearly restoring parity in added time. But it was courageous as a series of brave defensive blocks kept the visitors at bay.

Absolving Liam Thompson of responsibility for the outcome after being outmuscled by James, Rams manager John Eustace said: “Liam was a stand-out player for us. He was up against another excellent young player who, in that situation, just got the better of him.

“I’m very disappointed to lose the game. The attitude of the boys was very good. We scored a great goal after going behind.

“The two we conceded, though, were very poor. In the second half we had a lot of possession and City didn’t cause us any problems at all.

“In the final third, we just need to show a little bit more belief. We put some fantastic crosses into the box but maybe we just need people to put their head in where it hurts.”

Eustace added: “Rhian is a confident chap anyway, although that goal will help. He’s a top player and we just need to keep him fit so he can reap the rewards of everything that he does with his all-round performances for us.”