Claudio Ranieri proud as Leicester go top of Premier League
Saturday 21 November 2015 23:48, UK
Claudio Ranieri said he was proud of his players after their 3-0 thrashing of Newcastle at St James' Park on Saturday lifted them to the top of the Premier League.
Jamie Vardy scored in his 10th consecutive Premier League game on the stroke of half-time, before Leonardo Ulloa and Shinji Okazaki added two more after the break.
"I'm very proud, the players played compact and like a team," said Ranieri. "It's difficult after the international break because you don't know what will happen. It was a fantastic performance."
Ranieri was also full of praise for striker Vardy, after he went level with Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of scoring in 10 Premier League games in a row.
"It's good for him and for everybody, because when a manager or squad has a striker who scores a goal it's good," added Vardy.
"He is very confident and also the team-mates are very confident with him, and believe something could happen when he has the ball."
Defeats for Arsenal and Manchester City on Saturday meant that Leicester will be top of the Premier League until at least next Saturday, but Ranieri dismissed any talk of them being title challengers.
"I want to enjoy [being top] because I think it's important," he added.
"We will continue to train well and after that it's important to concentrate. When a team plays well the manager is always happy."
