Leicester were relegated to the Championship last season, bringing an end to their nine-year run in the English top flight.
Manager Steve Cooper said Leicester City’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday was a promising start to their Premier League return after a year away but reminded his players that only wins will satisfy the club’s fan base.
Spurs dominated the first half and took the lead through Pedro Porro in the 29th minute before Leicester, Premier League champions in the 2015/16 season, equalised through 37-year-old Jamie Vardy’s header in the 57th minute.
Leicester were relegated to the Championship last season, bringing an end to their nine-year run in the English top flight.
“There’s a lot going on behind the team which will help and all of those things going on, there were bound to be some nerves and anxiety,” Cooper said after the game.
“We had some really good moments against them in the second half. We became a really difficult opponent … It was a fairly positive start, but we want to be winning games.
“We’ve won many games over the years here and Leicester fans will be used to that, but we’ve got to recreate that.
“This is a Premier League football club, but we’ve got to become a Premier League team again – that’s the aim.”
Leicester visit Fulham in their next Premier League match on Saturday.
“Disappointing night for us,” Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou admitted to Sky Sports after the match. “First half excellent and controlled the game but wasteful in front of goal. Second half was the same.
“We started off well and once Leicester scored, the crowd lifted and we lost our composure. It was an issue we had last year as well. We need to keep working hard and be a bit more ruthless in front of goal. At times we made poor decisions.
“It’s not our football or effort. To get results you need to be a lot more ruthless in the final third. If we don’t, we won’t get the rewards our football deserves.”
Reuters
