His Leicester side had to ride their luck at times against West Ham, but victory for a smiling Ruud van Nistelrooy has already given Foxes fans their “belief” back.
The Dutchman was appointed on Friday to replace Steve Cooper, who was sacked after just 12 Premier League matches in charge of Leicester.
Van Nistelrooy watched his new side fall to a 4-1 thumping by Brentford alongside Leicester owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha from the stands on Sunday.
However, his first game in charge got off to the perfect start on Tuesday as Jamie Vardy’s early opener helped the Foxes on their way to a 3-1 win at King Power Stadium.
“In the end you look at the result and the three points, in the position that we are in, it’s vital,” Van Nistelrooy, 48, said.
“We know the level in the Premier League and we know every game we play that everything has to be right. We have to train and develop our defence, our counter attack, our possession.
“Lots of things to work on but very happy with the three points.”
The win moves Leicester up to 15th in the Premier League, two points behind the Hammers.
“The third day working at the club, it’s been very busy getting to know everyone. Everybody was involved with that and helping, it was busy and long days but worth it,” Van Nistelrooy said in a post-match news conference.
“I was focused on the moment and today I will get myself a little beer and reflect on the last three days.”
Graham Potter, the former Brighton and Chelsea boss, said it was the “perfect start” and means the supporters will have “that trust and belief in the new manager and that is so important”.
“You can do all the talking you want but if the players actually believe him and follow what he is saying then it can be very powerful,” he told Amazon Prime. “The best way to get belief is by winning football matches.”
Vardy extends goal record under new managers
Leicester captain Vardy pounced after just 98 seconds in Van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge, before Bilal El Khannouss and Patson Daka struck to seal victory.
Vardy has now scored the first Premier League goal under six Leicester City managers in the top flight.
It was also Vardy who broke Van Nistelrooy’s record for scoring in consecutive Premier League games when he achieved 11 in a row for Leicester back in 2015.
Van Nistelrooy joked about it on Monday, and he said he told Vardy they had a “big issue” to get out of the way before they could start working together.
“We’ve had one full day together. You could see some stuff worked and some was rusty. We’ve got more time for the manager to get his things across,” Vardy told Amazon Prime after Tuesday’s win.
Leicester defender Conor Coady added: “The lads put in a great shift. We can play better. It was all about winning, it was one for the manager.
“The weekend was a dark place but you have to dig deep. We’ve got a long way to go but it’s a great start.”
‘Good signs for Leicester’
West Ham had 31 shots in this match, their highest tally on record since 2005-06.
The last time an away team had more shots and lost was Chelsea against Birmingham in 2010.
Niclas Fullkrug nodded home a consolation for the visitors, but Danny Ings hit the post with a header, Jarrod Bowen spurned several chances, while Coady cleared off the line from Crysencio Summerville.
“The result is what matters, but I have also seen the game and West Ham were dominant,” Van Nistelrooy told Match of the Day.
“I think our fighting spirit got us through the game and we were effective in scoring. A great night.”
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “What a result this is for Ruud van Nistelrooy. We were talking about a Leicester team devoid of confidence and ideas before the game, but he’s got a performance out of that group tonight.
“But there’s something there for Van Nistelrooy to work on and what he’s seen tonight would have given him a lot of delight.
“He’s made some big changes. His in-game substitutions and management looks good. It’s good signs for Leicester.”
