Ranieri relieved as Musa ends barren Foxes run

Ahmed Musa broke his Leicester City duck when finding the net against Crystal Palace on Saturday, and manager Claudio Ranieri admits it was a goal desperately needed for the team and midfielder alike.

The Foxes’ Premier League title defence has been far from straightforward so far, with the weekend’s win at the King Power Stadium just a third of the season.

But despite the struggle to regain their championship-winning form, home results have continued to be impressive, and Leicester are now 20 unbeaten in the Midlands.

Musa was on hand to open the scoring in his tenth appearance in a Leicester shirt before Shinji Okazaki and Christian Fuchs killed the game in the second half with goals of their own.

And Ranieri believes it was a deserved goal from the 24-year-old, now hoping his and the team’s confidence can ramp up ahead of next week’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur.

(Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

“Of course, Musa needed the goal. He’s a good player and for me it was important that he understands the Premier League because it’s different football,” said Ranieri.

“Now in the training sessions he’s getting better and has improved a lot and for this reason I played him today. It was important because it gave us a lot of confidence.

“Shinji used to score these kind of goals in the Bundesliga. He’s a hard worker and he helps us in attack and midfield. He’s a very important player for us.

“[Christian Fuchs’ goal was] fantastic. He followed the action, saw the ball come out and shot very well. He’s signed a new contract and he can have a very great season for us.”