Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy expressed relief as his side ended a lengthy goal drought at home, sealing a 2-0 victory over fellow relegated side Southampton on Saturday at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes had gone 826 minutes without scoring a Premier League goal on home soil, but that barren spell came to an end in the 16th minute when club legend Jamie Vardy lashed in his 199th goal for Leicester from a Bilal El Khannouss cross.
Jordan Ayew added a second just before the break, drilling in a low shot in the 44th minute to secure Leicester’s first league win since January.
The result did little for either side’s fate, with both already condemned to relegation, but it confirmed that Southampton will finish bottom of the table unless they can better their dismal tally of 11 points in their remaining three matches — a total that threatens to match the Premier League’s lowest-ever season tally.
Speaking after the match, Van Nistelrooy said: “The first goal was finished in style and gave us the lead we needed — and of course, it was our first at home in a very long time. It’s been a tough run, and we were ready to break that cycle today.”
The former Netherlands and Manchester United striker added: “It was a relief to go in front — I genuinely can’t recall the last time we did that. Going 2-0 up gave us a huge lift and I saw a team today that was determined to fight, improve, and push to be in a better place for next season.”
For Southampton, interim manager Simon Rusk admitted his side’s confidence was visibly rocked after falling behind. “The first goal just seemed to knock the confidence out of the team. Maybe that’s a result of the season as a whole in that it seemed to be a step too far psychologically perhaps,” he said.
He added: “We can try and affect confidence levels as much as we can, but the reality is we’re working together as a group that’s won two games all season.
“We are away from home in the Premier League against a team with seven more points than us (before kick-off) and I expected a difficult game.”
