Brendan Rodgers impressed by Leicester attitude in battling win at Gillingham

Posted Sunday, January 08, 2023 by PA

Brendan Rodgers praised the professional mentality of his fringe players after Kelechi Iheanacho continued his fine FA Cup record by firing Leicester past Sky Bet League Two strugglers Gillingham.

Striker Iheanacho claimed his 16th career goal in the competition as the 2021 winners avoided a major upset with a 1-0 victory at the English Football League’s bottom club.

Foxes manager Rodgers made eight changes for the third-round tie at MEMS Priestfield and was delighted to progress on the back of three successive Premier League defeats.

“Congratulations to Gillingham because you know it’s always going to be a really tough game and they put everything into the game and fought right the way to the end,” he said.

“For us, we had to come here with a professional mentality and stand up strong and the players did that and I’m just pleased to be into the next round.”

Iheanacho lashed home the decisive goal in the 56th minute following a tight first half in which the beleaguered Gills performed admirably.

The Nigeria international hit four crucial goals en route to the Foxes lifting the trophy at Wembley two years ago, but it was only his second strike this term.

“He’s certainly got the knack for that and he did great for us in the competition (in 2021),” Rodgers, who must now prepare for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at Newcastle, said of Iheanacho.

“You’re always balancing it (selection). We felt with the players we needed to rest today and the players we needed to get games that that was the best system for us.

“The players are well tuned in terms of the various systems and they were able to play that well today. It’s a real testament to them and how hard they work in training.”

Gillingham, watched by new owner Brad Galinson, set aside their miserable league form to provide a stern test for a club 79 places above them in the football pyramid.

Midfielder Dom Jefferies threatened for the hosts early on, but they never really looked like pulling off a shock in front of their biggest crowd of the season.

Gills boss Neil Harris rued a missed opportunity for an upset but believes the future is positive following the takeover of American businessman Galinson.

He also felt Iheanacho’s winner should have been disallowed due to a potential foul on Robbie McKenzie by Jamie Vardy.

“Firstly, proud of the team, proud of the football club today,” said Harris, whose side are five points from safety in the fourth tier following relegation last season.

“It just shows the potential that Galinson has invested into the football club for.

“For 55 minutes, I thought we were excellent – we gave very little away, we played with energy, we competed, we asked questions of the opponent.

“I was disappointed with the goal in the sense of decision-making, but I also thought it was a foul in the build-up.

“We had a little bit of a missed opportunity today to cause an upset, because we just didn’t quite have those moments in the final third, the quality once we got there, and we got there enough.

“We saw today a link between the terraces and the pitch and that’s what I came in to try and achieve and we’ve not been able to do that yet.

“Hopefully with a new era, new owner, new investment, new infrastructure (we can). It’s a mega start.

“We need to carry that momentum every day from now on.”