Football
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Claudio Ranieri pleased with Leicester's response to first defeat

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has lauded his team for responding to their first defeat of the season with a 2-1 victory at Norwich.

Ranieri's side, who are now fourth in the table after their win at Carrow Road on Saturday, were on the wrong end of a 5-2 scoreline against Arsenal in their last Premier League outing.

But the Foxes bounced back and recorded their fourth win of the campaign as Jamie Vardy converted from the spot for his sixth goal in five league games before Jeff Schlupp netted his first of the season.

Ranieri's men even withstood a Norwich fightback after Congolese striker Dieumerci Mbokani pulled one back for the hosts.

The Italian manager said: "It was a very good answer after the defeat against Arsenal. It was a very good match against a good team that were well organised and play good football, but today we were very determined to win the match.

"We created a lot of great chances to score, we scored twice, then they scored and there was a big battle in English spirit and I love this kind of spirit."

Ranieri took the surprise decision to name five-goal Riyad Mahrez on the bench against the Canaries.

He explained: "We knew very well how Norwich would play. They push a lot on the flanks and make a lot of deliveries into the box.

"We wanted to start with a solid team and then, during the match, I could put Riyad on the field. But the match was different because we were winning.

"When you play against Norwich, they play good football and can score goals, so it was important for us to be calm, to play well and to be in a good position late in the game."

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