Wounded Foxes bare teeth

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy said his side's 3-1 victory over Liverpool on Monday was a reaction to negative media reports over the dismissal of manager Claudio Ranieri.

Ranieri was fired on Thursday, 10 months after the Foxes' 5,000-1 Premier League title triumph, following a run of five straight losses that plunged the club into a relegation battle.

Reports claimed Ranieri had lost the Leicester dressing room, with some outlets suggesting Vardy had led a player coup against the Italian.

But Leicester's top scorer last season, who netted a brace against the Reds, blasted the media's version of events.

"We've come in for a lot of unfair stick with things that have been in the press, but you've seen that the lads wanted to react," Vardy told Sky Sports.

"This performance did that, and we want to do it consistently. I couldn't put my finger on why we haven't been doing that regularly.

"We've been working hard but it's just not been happening."

Vardy struck either side of a brilliant Danny Drinkwater goal to move Leicester out of the drop zone and up to 15th in the standings, two points above the bottom three.

"You can call it a reaction," England international Drinkwater said.

The home fans held banners and wore masks in support of Ranieri prior to the game, while a hearse was parked outside King Power Stadium adorned with a floral wreath that spelled out 'RIP Football'.

During the match, the Leicester faithful illuminated their smartphones during a 65th-minute standing ovation in the 65-year-old Ranieri's honor.

"I thought it was a lovely touch," said Leicester's caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare, Ranieri's former assistant.

"I thought they got the balance right. They got behind their own team from the word go, but it was a lovely touch in the 65th minute. The players commented about it after the game."

Several banners expressed thanks to Ranieri, with one reading: "Thank you Ranieri for making our dreams come true!"

Another laid the blame for Ranieri's exit with the squad, reading: "Ranieri, your players and owners let you down!"

A writeup in the match program said the player rebellion reports were "unfair" and "unfounded".

The club's Thai vice-chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, wrote that the squad "supported Claudio fiercely", but acknowledged some fans were "angry" by his dismissal.

Both Vardy and Drinkwater said Leicester's display had been a reaction to press reports implicating the players in the manager's exit.

Vardy's first-half opener was Leicester's first league goal in seven matches and made the Foxes the last team from Europe's five major championships to find the net in 2017.