Leicester manager Enzo Maresca admitted there was a sense of relief as his side completed a 3-1 victory over Norwich.
Maresca’s side had to come from a goal down before making sure of a result which put them back on top of the table before the evening fixtures.
Leicester gifted Norwich’s Gabriel Sara the opening goal from a corner, before responding with goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Stephy Mavididi and Jamie Vardy, a 77th-minute substitute.
Maresca’s relief came after a poor six-game run and he said: “It was especially for the moment, because for different reasons, we didn’t win so many games.
“So this was important, because we are in the final part of the season. But then we started by conceding a goal, and 1-0 down from a corner, we needed to be mentally strong.
“But after that, the game was completely in our control, we dominated.
“Probably in the last six games, we won one game and it was the one we didn’t deserve – Sunderland.
“We lost four games, and not one of them we deserved to lose.
“At the end, we are human beings – we have emotions so when we scored the last one with Jamie, the game was finished, so we were all happy and we enjoyed the moment.”
Maresca called for unity from the supporters in his programme notes, and he made it clear his style of football would not be changing, even though Leicester’s promotion credentials have been called into question.
The Italian coach added: “I think the fans were there, we tried to make them happy by winning the game. I can understand that, for them, it’s the only thing that matters
“But I know that sometimes they want us to attack, and be more direct, but it’s never going to happen while I’m here.”
Norwich manager David Wagner accepted that his side’s performance was not good enough as they chase a play-off place.
Wagner’s side’s form in their previous six games had only been bettered by Ipswich and Leeds.
But the German coach said: “We’re better than what we showed here. This is disappointing, but it can happen.
“I’ll quickly put this to bed because we’ll speak about the truth. I have so much trust and belief in the guys, I know they’ll have the biggest fire in their belly for the Ipswich game.
“The positives were that we scored a super set-piece goal, so credit to our set-piece department for that.
“But I felt we were well organised until their second goal. In ball possession though, we were below par. We’ve been better in recent weeks, but that doesn’t mean we should automatically have won the game.
“We not good enough to get some points out of this game. So we’ll work on it and analyse it.
“It was very clear that too many individuals did not do what they are capable of doing. But they are humans and for us to make sure that everybody is on the same page and our demands are higher than what we showed here.”
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
Leicester's Fatawu ruled out for rest of season with ACL injury
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper confirmed Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) while playing for Ghana against Angola during the international break.
Fatawu has featured in all 11 of Leicester's Premier League matches so far this season and has registered two assists.
No Leicester player has attempted (61) or completed (29) more dribbles than him, while his 30 crosses is also a team-high in the top-flight this season.
"It's not good, it's a serious injury," said Cooper ahead of their match against Chelsea on Saturday.
"It's a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.
"Albeit, it can be quite common in sport, and in particular football, but it's still a serious injury.
"For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.
"He's obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.
"It's only a pause, and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which, with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case."
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