Leicester City manager Willie Kirk praised the influence of his two German players after the Foxes overcame Everton 1-0 this afternoon at The King Power Stadium.
In the East Midlands, there was little to separate the two sides, but Leicester City triumphed thanks to Lena Petermann’s second-half goal. Janina Leitzig, The Foxes’ goalkeeper, shone once more, saving a penalty in the first half and making some outstanding saves in open play.
Leicester City manager Kirk stated in the post-match press conference that the headlines were shared by the club’s German contingent.
“It was a tale of two Germans; Jani (Leitzig) at one end and Lena (Petermann) at the other end,” according to Kirk. “We definitely needed Jani at times. She had a terrific game, and it’s her second clean sheet against Everton, an opponent she clearly enjoys playing against.”
After both teams generated chances in a goalless first 45 minutes, Everton came out more stronger after the interval. Leitzig kept Leicester City in the game with two spectacular one-on-one saves before the arrival of Hannah Cain shifted the momentum back in favor of the hosts. Kirk stated that his team desperately needed the break in play to reset.
“We were getting frustrated because the players were dropping off too much and the gap between the lines was too wide,” he explained. That was the issue we were attempting to resolve.
“Just having the sub stoppage allowed the players to reset.” It wasn’t my fault; we had been attempting to get the idea across for almost 15 minutes.
“We started getting back on the front foot, we were more aggressive and we were defending in their half.”
Leicester City leads the Barclays Women’s Super League table after two rounds, much to Kirk’s pleasure.
“It’s the WSL, the toughest league in the world, so I’m sure any team would take that,” Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson said. “The fact that we’ve done it off the back of last season shows the progress that we are making and long may it continue.”
Leicester City will play Liverpool in the group stage of the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup on Wednesday evening.
