Tribal Football

Cooper insists Leicester "superior" for Ipswich draw

Paul Vegas
Cooper insists Leicester "superior" for Ipswich draw
Cooper insists Leicester "superior" for Ipswich drawAction Plus
Leicester City boss Steve Cooper insists they were the better team on the day for their 1-1 draw at Ipswich,

Jordan Ayew struck late for a Foxes equaliser and to earn the point for the visitors.

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Cooper later said, “We came here to win and, don’t think I’m saying this with any arrogance, we expected to win today. We really wanted to come with that mentality. A draw is what it ended up being and it’s a much better result for us than Ipswich.

“A draw is what it is and we have to accept it. It’s a point away from home in the Premier League, even though we’re disappointed we didn’t win, it’s not the end of the world. Out of the two teams it will be a better result for us.

Cooper added: “Performance-wise, we started the game well and ended the game well. We knew that if we played close to our level with the players we have, we could be the superior team in the game.

“We expected Ipswich to press us more than they did, and maybe that’s why we dropped off our intensity from the start and perhaps why we fell into what Ipswich wanted and allowed them to get a bit of hope in the game. There were spells where we had to concede a bit of territory and it was on us how that played out.

“The second half, we could have started better but I wouldn’t say we were miles the second-best team. They scored a goal of great quality, there’s no about about that. That can happen in this league.

“We settled again and responded well in terms of showing composure in the game. We forced the red card. Then we were becoming the dominant team again, but that was always going to be the case because of the 10 men and Ipswich protecting a 1-0. That’s how it is and we’d be the same in that situation.

“Facundo (Buonanotte) had a good chance in the latter stages, Jordan with his first touch was as good a chance as the one he scored. We just needed to keep going.

“Bouba (Soumare) has done amazing and then Jordan and Vards have combined with great excellence and experience in a real chaotic moment. That’s what you need because they would have known that there wouldn’t have been too many more opportunities to have a moment like they created. They showed great composure, they showed their level and their experience at its best. It was a great goal.”