Ruud van Nistelrooy gets rare Leicester City crowd moment after boos he can 'never understand'
It was not just Leicester City’s performance against Manchester City that pleased Ruud van Nistelrooy – but the crowd’s response to it.
Despite the defeat, City supporters appreciated what they saw and the noise levels were good throughout the match. At full-time, in a rare moment after a loss, home fans in the Kop stuck around to chant the team off the pitch, rather than trudge down to the concourse.
That particularly pleased van Nistelrooy, who said in his programme notes for the match that he and the players had been speaking about providing moments on the pitch for supporters to get behind. The atmosphere was toxic for City’s previous home game, the 3-0 loss to Wolves where goalkeeper Danny Ward was singled out for boos, something the manager still says he can “never understand”.
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Discussing the atmosphere, van Nistelrooy said after the 2-0 defeat to Man City: “There was some excitement going on, because of the level of football, in the stadium. That’s how I felt it. At half-time and at the final whistle, there was a good connection with the crowd.
“It’s very positive. The Wolves game, that wasn’t easy for us but we could understand it in a way, the disappointment. Not on an individual, we can never understand that, but as a whole, yes.
“But today, the performance reflected in the stands. It was visible in the reaction to some great attacks, some great football, and the work-rate where players are chasing and fighting until the end. That’s why I feel sorry for the team, that we couldn’t take any points from this performance.”
City are next at home on Saturday, January 11, when they face QPR in the FA Cup. Their first fixture of 2025 is away at Aston Villa on Saturday, January 4.
