Leicester City players’ fight and attitude could not be questioned, manager Dean Smith said in the aftermath of the 3-0 loss to Liverpool that moved the club closer to relegation. But Smith dismissed any suggestions that their latest loss was lacking the qualities supporters felt it did.
Dean Smith said: “We’re all supporters in here. We all support football clubs and you want to see your football club winning. We got beat tonight by a team who physically overran us when they got the two-goal lead. They’re a physically strong team, supreme athletes and really good players. I wouldn’t question our fight today. I wouldn’t question our attitude. If you’re losing 3-0 at home and you’re fighting a relegation battle, I understand why fans will react in certain ways.”
Smith again bemoaned mistakes that led to the first two goals, both scored by Curtis Jones. For the first, Wout Faes missed a header from a long ball, and then he said Wilfred Ndidi was dragged out of position for the second.
Dean Smith said: “Goals change games. I could throw their goalkeeper 50 balls now and they wouldn’t score from one of his big kicks over our back four, who were in place. A really disappointing goal to give away. Then Wilf’s tried to read a pass, and they turn and play it into Jones who turns and scores a really good goal. Both goals were marginally onside. VAR didn’t seem to go for us. Our minds then get frazzled for whatever reason and we could have conceded a third from kick-off. We needed to get in at half-time without any further pain. Second half started like the end of the first half, but with fewer chances for Liverpool. I thought we got a bounce when the subs came on, but unfortunately the referee killed that with the third goal. It’s never been a free-kick. It allows a very good team a free shot from 20 yards and he puts it in the top corner. That’s pretty much game done then.”
