Leicester City boss Dean Smith admits defeat to Fulham shocked him today.
Fulham jumped to a 3-0 lead before the Foxes fought back before eventually losing 5-3.
Smith said afterwards: “Assessment is the first half was nowhere near good enough. We gave away goals we shouldn’t give away at this level. Giving three goals away at half time is a mountain to climb.
“Second half we were better but it didn’t have to be an awful lot to be better in the second half. We have gone a long time without a clean sheet and we are craving that.
“I think the first goal was a killer. It was a cheap free kick and goes straight in. Then we turn the ball over and they break. It is a mountain to climb when things like that happen. We have to be resolute as a group.
“We have players who can create and score, as we’ve seen today but as a group we have to defend better as well. You can’t allow seven or eight shots inside our penalty box. It is something us as coaches and players have to get better at.
“The frustrating part for me is I didn’t see that coming. We have been fairly resolute in the five games we’ve had with the exception of Everton.
“The attitude and application has been good, so I didn’t expect that first half coming.”
Asked about the fans’ reaction, the manager also said: “Football fans come to support their club. I definitely understand it. The annoyance was from the dugout and coaches as well. Our standards were better in the second half but with the exception of Willian’s goal there was more we could have done to stop them.
“We didn’t think we would be given anything other than a tough game at Fulham. We have to concentrate on ourselves and make sure we are right.”
