Soccer: We got lucky, admits relieved Puel

BRIGHTON, England (Reuters) - Leicester City manager Claude Puel admitted his side did not deserve their 2-0 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.

The visitors were second-best for much of the encounter at the Amex Stadium and had goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to thank for keeping them in the match on several occasions.

The best save of the lot came when denying Brighton’s Glenn Murray from the penalty spot in the 77th minute — a stop that rejuvenated Leicester, as they went on to score two late goals through Vicente Iborra and Jamie Vardy to win the match.

Puel, though, was not entirely happy with his side’s performance, while reserving special praise for Schmeichel.

“They (Brighton) played very well. They deserved another result,” Puel said. “They played well in the first half. It was the opposite for us. (The performance) was not enough after the international break. It was a good result to go into halftime level.

The former Southampton manager added: “The save from Kasper was the turning point of the game because I think that it was a good boost for my players. It was difficult to accept this situation for them (Brighton).

“I am not happy about our first half, but I am happy with our direction in the second half and the three points.

“I am happy for Kasper. He was unlucky against Chelsea in the last game (making a mistake which led to Pedro’s goal). He makes a lot of saves in every game.

“He is a fantastic goalkeeper. It is a fantastic result for us and a good reward for Kasper.”

Leicester saw out victory with 10 men, after Wilfred Ndidi was sent off for picking up a second yellow card three minutes from time — a decision that Puel was not happy with.

“For me when you watch the replay it is not a red card, it is not a foul,” Puel added. “It is harsh to lose this player in this moment. He is an important player for us that we will lose for the next games.”