Referee had a good game, claims Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri
Sunday 21 August 2016 01:33, UK
Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri refused to criticise referee Mark Clattenburg following his side's goalless draw with Arsenal at the King Power on Saturday evening.
The Premier League champions thought they should have been awarded two penalties against the Gunners, only for Clattenburg - who was officiating his first game of the season - to wave away their protests.
However, while Clattenburg got the first call right when Laurent Koscielny just got a touch on the ball ahead of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, Leicester will feel aggrieved he did not point to the spot late on when Hector Bellerin bundled Ahmed Musa over in the box.
Ranieri, though, claimed the referee enjoyed a good game.
"I am not a manger who says: 'That was a penalty,' that is crying," said the Italian.
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"For me it is OK, the referee made a very good performance and for me a penalty is when the referee whistles. He didn't whistle, so it wasn't."
Ranieri was also quick to praise the display of his players as the Foxes picked up their first point of the season, with Leicester's manager claiming his side deserved more than a point.
"It was a good performance," he said. "The result is good. I think we deserved a little more but it's OK.
"They kept more possession. They were very dangerous, but not with the clear chance.
"We kept less possession, but we know this. But we created a lot more clear chances to win the match. It was unlucky.
"But I am very happy for our spirit, for the union of the team."