Pearson warns rejuvenated Leicester against complacency
LONDON (Reuters) - Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson warned his players that they still have "a lot of hard work to do" despite securing a record fourth straight Premier League win to climb out of the relegation zone on Saturday. Pearson's men battled to a crucial 1-0 victory at bottom club Burnley after the hosts hit the post with a second-half penalty and Leicester scored from a counter attack from the resulting rebound. Jamie Vardy's 60th-minute tap-in handed Leicester a fourth consecutive top-flight league win for the first time since 1966, their first in the Premier League era, and lifted them up to 17th, one point above the bottom three. It is the first time Pearson's side have been outside the relegation zone in six months but with five games remaining, the manager will not be resting on his laurels. "It's always a difficult league to be successful in, and we've got a lot of hard work to do," he told the BBC. "If people think the hard work's done, they're in for a shock. "We weren't at our best (at Burnley), in the sense that our football wasn't sparkling, but both sides were committed to the game. We took advantage of a disappointing moment for them. "I think the players have got rewards for the performances they have put in for a long time. We had to battle. I can't honestly say that we deserved to win the game, but once you get ahead, you have to make sure you see the game out. "You've got to find ways of winning games. The players have got eight months experience in the Premier League. The players have deserved the breaks they've got, through a lot of honesty, hard work and ability." Having spent 140 days rooted to the bottom of the table before victory last Saturday lifted them to 18th, Leicester would become the first club to avoid relegation after such a long time at the bottom if they were to complete their remarkable turnaround by beating the drop. It would also be extraordinary reversal of fortunes for Pearson, who was rumoured to have lost his job according to British media reports in February but now is a leading candidate for manager of the month with a 100 percent record in April. Leicester visit league leaders Chelsea on Wednesday, before hosting struggling Newcastle United next Saturday. They face Southampton and then fellow relegation candidates Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers in their remaining games. (Reporting By Sam Holden; editing by Toby Davis)
