Leicester striker Vardy hits out at '˜unfair stick' towards players

The England striker scored twice in Leicester’s 3-1 victory over Liverpool at the King Power Stadium last night - the first game of the post-Ranieri era.

Ranieri was sacked last Thursday, just nine months after guiding the Foxes to an improbable Premier League title, with the club now embroiled in a relegation scrap.

Senior Leicester players, including Vardy, have rallied against suggestions they plotted the Italian’s downfall since his departure.

The 30-year-old, who ended a personal Premier League drought which stretched back to December, believes the win could be a catalyst for the struggling Foxes.

He said: “We’ve come under a lot of unfair stick with the stuff that’s been in the press lately and the lads wanted to put a reaction in. The performance showed we wanted to do that but it’s up to us to consistently do that.”

Asked what had gone wrong this season, he added: “I can’t put my finger on it. We’ve been working hard and it’s not been happening but tonight it has all clicked.

“I’ve been very frustrated with the amount of goals I’ve got this season but hopefully those two goals will push me on and there will be more to follow.

“It was definitely a case of (being damned if we did and damned if we didn’t) tonight. We just needed to show we’ve got that fighting intensity,” he added.