Claudio Ranieri claims Leicester City's dramatic escape in their 2-2 draw against West Ham United has bolstered his players' belief they are set to become Premier League champions.
Ranieri’s side were seconds away from a damaging defeat at the King Power Stadium on Sunday after late goals from Andy Carroll and Aaron Cresswell put West Ham ahead following Leicester striker Jamie Vardy’s dismissal for diving.
It was the kind of predicament that would have finished off a less spirited team, but Leicester refused to surrender and won a dubious penalty deep into stoppage-time when referee Jonathan Moss ruled Carroll had tripped Jeffrey Schlupp.
Leonardo Ulloa stepped up to slam home the penalty to leave Leicester eight points clear of second placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Although Tottenham can close the gap to five points with a win at Stoke City on Monday and Vardy will be suspended for next Sunday's game against Swansea City, Ranieri refused to dwell on the negatives and saluted the never-say-die spirit of his players.
• Read more: Jamie Vardy earns his villainy, but no hard-luck story for spirited Leicester City this time
• Also see: Leonardo Ulloa saves Leicester City, cancels out Aaron Cresswell screamer for West Ham – in pictures
“I’m so proud. I always ask our players to give their soul and heart until the end and that’s what they did,” Ranieri said.
“When we conceded the second goal my players still wanted to draw. Unbelievable, fantastic.
“Always I believe we could fight back. We showed this season everything is possible.
“Psychologically it’s fantastic. It’s more important than one point.”
Moss’ performance infuriated Leicester’s fans, who booed him off even after his generous late penalty decision saved their team, but Ranieri refused to join the chorus of disapproval.
The Leicester manager insisted criticising officials was pointless, although he might also have realised his defenders had got away with several blocks and tugs in the penalty area before Moss decided captain Wes Morgan’s shove on Winston Reid was worthy of the penalty converted by Carroll.
“I don’t want to tell you my feeling. Never in my life have I spoken about referees,” Ranieri said.
“From the bench it is very hard to see if it was a sending off or a penalty.
“If I say something what changes? It is 2-2. Nothing changes. That is my philosophy.”
In truth, Vardy could have few complaints about his second booking for slyly trying to win a penalty by running into Angelo Ogbonna and then throwing himself to the turf.
But pressed on suggestions Vardy swore at Moss after the dismissal in a petulant display that could see his ban extended by the Football Association, Ranieri protested the England forward’s innocence.
“Jamie never dives, he goes very fast and at his speed if you touch a little...” he said.
“You (the media) saw the situation better than me. I want to stay calm.
“I’m very sad, not because of the sending off but because he can’t play the next match.”
A Tottenham victory on Monday would put Leicester under pressure for the first time since they opened up a substantial lead at the top and, with Vardy banned, they could be vulnerable against Swansea.
But Ranieri insisted there was no reason to panic because his team have already achieved so much during their incredible campaign.
“We were worried at the beginning of the season to reach 40 points. Now we enjoy,” he added.
“I never speak to the players about the gap. Everything is in our hands.
“If the other teams are better than us and win the title, well done to them, because we are playing at our maximum.”
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic took a harsher view of Moss after the referee's last-gasp penalty decision put a major dent in the visitors' hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
“Of course it’s not a penalty. What happened makes us feel very frustrated. That puts a shadow on one (heck) of a game,” he said.
“It is easy to say the ref shouldn’t get influenced by fans but it is real life.”
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
