Highlights: Leicester City start life without Claudio Ranieri with win over Liverpool

Leicester City’s besieged players gave a distinctly 2015-16 performance tonight as they dispatched Liverpool 3-1 at home. “There is speculation I was involved in his dismissal and this completely untrue, unfounded and is extremely hurtful!”

But, football fans being football fans, a quick look at the reaction to his goal on Twitter showed that more people were concerned with his celebration.

In total, the Anfield outfit have conceded 33 goals since the start of the campaign – more than any other team in the top eight now.

Jamie Vardy’s first goal was Leicester City’s first in the Premier League in 2017, after a run of 637 minutes without one. “We just needed to show we’ve got that fighting intensity”.

“It’s hard to put a finger on why we haven’t been playing like that”.

“We all know we’ve not played how we can”, Simpson admitted.

“We’ve come in for a lot of unfair stick with things that have been in the press, but you’ve seen that the lads wanted to react”, Vardy said. “They have had to take criticism but we set the tone, they were excellent in the first 10-15 minutes”.

With Jurgen Klopp’s Reds not making an impression, Leicester got the crowd going with Vardy opening the scoring in the 28th minute and adding another on the hour. “You could tell from the word go there was intensity and passion”. He kept saying “40 points will do me” and the players played above themselves.

But Leicester has failed to replicate that form. He believed in me when many didn’t and for that I owe him my eternal gratitude. They didn’t get it in abundance in the Janaury transfer window – Wilfred Ndidi was the only player signed since the title win to feature here – and removing the manager was the only remaining and viable option.

“And it’s actually quite uncomfortable watching this in a unusual way”. The defending league champions sacked manager Claudio Rainieri midweek and are battling at the relegation line. And that doesn’t seem to sit that well.