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No manager in the Premier League has been under more pressure than Brendan Rodgers in the last few weeks following Leicester City’s stuttering form.
The Foxes’ dream of retaining the FA Cup was shattered when they were battered 4-1 by Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago. Leicester have also struggled in the Premier League, where they haven’t won a league game since the first week of January.
All that had backed Rodgers into a tight corner, with reports emerging that could face the sack. However, the Foxes enjoyed some respite on Thursday evening, beating Randers 4-1 in the Europa Conference League playoffs.
Leicester City end winless run
Leicester City have been very disappointing since the turn of the year, but they were a completely different side against Randers.
They played with intensity, were dominant in possession and, more importantly, were clinical in front of goal. Even when Vito Hammershoej-Mistrati equalised for the Danish team after Wilfred Ndidi had opened the scoring, Leicester kept pushing in the second half.
In the end, they were rewarded for their efforts. Goals from Harvey Barnes, Patson Daka and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall sealed a comfortable 4-1 win as Leicester ended their five-game winless run across competitions.
Pressure eases on Brendan Rodgers
The Foxes now have one foot in the next stage of the Europa Conference League after recording a huge win against Randers at home.
The victory also eased the pressure on Rodgers, who was at serious risk of being axed. However, Leicester will need to continue winning to preserve the 49-year-old’s job after an underwhelming last few weeks.
"We started the first half really well. We created lots of opportunities, scored a good goal, and then we obviously conceded just before half-time,” Rodgers told LCTV after the game. The key message was just to stay calm, keep playing our football, and the opportunities will come.
"It was just reinforcing how well they’d played in the first half, but also reminding them that, when you’re playing European football, if you make mistakes; you can get punished no matter how dominant you are. The players responded very well.”
Rodgers guided Leicester City to the FA Cup and the Community Shield, but the team’s performances have dipped. Such a big win is exactly what the Northern Irish manager needed to buy himself more time at the helm.
