“Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Bold ‘Absolutely Battered’ Claim Reveals Leicester City’s Luck is Just Around the Corner!”
Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy reacted to his side’s 2-0 loss to Arsenal, as late goals from substitute Mikel Merino sealed the win for the Gunners in the final 10 minutes. Despite the defeat, van Nistelrooy praised his team’s performance, stating that if they continue playing at this level, luck and results will eventually go their way.
The Foxes had held firm against the title-chasing Arsenal side and looked set to earn a valuable point, but Merino’s quick-fire brace in the dying stages handed Leicester their ninth loss in their last 10 Premier League matches.
It marked a fifth consecutive home league game in which Leicester failed to score, but van Nistelrooy remained upbeat about his team’s efforts. He expressed no disappointment, emphasizing that they had given everything they could.
“If we had been completely dominated by Arsenal, with no chance and no impact, then the result and performance wouldn’t have been there,” van Nistelrooy stated in his post-match interview.
“I’ve said it before, we’ve had good performances, and again today we reached the maximum of our capabilities. We need to keep this up, and results and luck will turn in our favor.
“It’s clear we’re doing everything we can. I can’t ask for more in terms of commitment, spirit, and the physical effort the players put in. They played together well, stifling Arsenal for long stretches, creating chances, and playing the way we wanted to play, especially when we had to go direct.
“We did everything possible, and you can’t ask for more than that. We should be proud and supportive of this team, knowing that if we keep playing like this, the results will follow.”
For much of the game, Leicester kept Arsenal at bay, with the Gunners hitting the woodwork twice through Ethan Nwaneri, but City also had their chances. Wilfred Ndidi headed wide just before halftime, while Bobby De Cordova-Reid had a golden opportunity in the second half, only for Myles Lewis-Skelly to just prevent him from scoring.
“It’s clearly a game of fine margins,” van Nistelrooy continued. “At the 81st minute, it was still 0-0, and we had chances to take the lead. Ndidi had his header and volley, and then in the second half, we nearly went ahead with Ayew’s cross that was just intercepted by Lewis-Skelly.
“Until the 80th minute, we were in the game, battling for a result against a top team. In the end, it came down to those fine margins. We didn’t score, and Merino made the difference.”
