Cooper: “We Paid the Price”

A 3-1 defeat at King Power Stadium halted City’s two-game Premier League winning streak, with Jamie Vardy’s goal proving insufficient in Friday’s East Midlands derby against Leicester.

Former Leicester forward Chris Wood scored twice in the second half, building on Ryan Yates’ 16th-minute opener and securing the win for Leicester.

Manager Steve Cooper acknowledged responsibility for the result, stating, “We’ve only got ourselves to blame.

The result was self-inflicted. We’ve been punished for giveaways that led to their goals, but these mistakes shouldn’t have happened in the build-up.”

Cooper emphasized the need to minimize errors, saying, “We need to do better.

We made poor errors in turnovers, and while we did get back into the game with control and pressure, it’s about preventing those mistakes in the first place.”

Despite their efforts, conceding right at the start of the second half complicated things for City, though Cooper noted, “There was still time to turn it around.

The timing wasn’t ideal, but we had opportunities to bounce back.”

The third goal, however, shifted the game’s momentum completely. “That third goal really took it away from us,” Cooper admitted.

“The game moved beyond what we intended, and it’s on us—and on me. We have to accept that tonight we fell short. This loss is a setback, no doubt.”

The starting lineup saw three changes, including Ricardo Pereira making his first league appearance of the season.

Cooper was pleased with Pereira’s contribution, noting, “He’s a strong option in that position.

Ricardo had some good moments, and the change wasn’t due to his performance but rather to bring in more attackers and create more chances as they added defenders. Unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize.”

While the loss stung, Cooper is already looking ahead to an opportunity to recover, with a Carabao Cup match against Manchester United on Wednesday followed by a league fixture at Ipswich Town on Saturday.

“This defeat is going to hurt, especially as we’ll reflect on what we should have done better,” Cooper admitted. “As difficult as it is, we need to move on quickly.”

He continued, “We have to analyze and learn from this, but we also need to keep looking forward.

This is part of the ups and downs that come with the season, and right now, it’s a low point. We don’t want to lose games in this manner, so it’s crucial we put things right as soon as we can.”

Cooper’s reflections highlight the importance of minimizing mistakes and focusing on consistent performance, as City aims to regroup and push ahead in both the league and cup competitions.