Claudio Ranieri delighted as Leicester beat Sunderland in opener

Claudio Ranieri hailed an “outstanding” Leicester display after they swept aside Sunderland 4-2 in their opening match of the Premier League season.

The Foxes netted three times without reply in the opening half an hour at the King Power Stadium to take control of the contest.

Marc Albrighton then scored a fourth after the break to secure an emphatic victory in Ranieri’s first game in charge.

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“It was outstanding,” the Italian told Sky Sports. “We created a lot of chances, the players were very compact and I am very pleased with the performance.

“It’s one thing to think about what the players can do but it is very satisfying to watch them understand everything.  All the players played as a team, which is what I asked of them.”

Jamie Vardy put the Foxes ahead early on before Riyad Mahrez scored twice, including a penalty, to make it 3-0 inside 30 minutes.

“When I signed for Leicester I wanted this start because it is important for everyone,” said Ranieri.

“The supporters were very warm, it was fantastic and I am very happy. It’s a noisy stadium, they supported us a lot and I want my players to fight until the end.”

While the win was a perfect return for Ranieri after an 11-year absence from the Premier League, the Italian said his side can still improve.

“We made some mistakes too, but now we can work with more confidence, which is important,” he commented. “Some bad moments will arrive but now it is important to see what we did well and what we didn’t do well and look forward.”