Shakespeare's mid-season dream continues
Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare moved within touching distance of achieving his main goal of top-flight survival and joined managerial royalty in the process as the Premier League champions beat Stoke City 2-0.
But the Foxes' boss admitted he was having to pinch himself, after extending his perfect start to life at the helm of the Midlands club with a fifth successive win.
Saturday's home success at the King Power Stadium, via goals from Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy, saw Shakespeare become the first Englishman to win his first four games as a Premier League manager.
In doing so he joined serial winners Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Guus Hiddink and Pep Guardiola as the only managers to achieve the feat.
"I'm very proud," said Shakespeare, whose other win came in the Champions League.
"You sometimes have to pinch yourself in terms of the names being mentioned.
"I'm at a very, very early stage in my management career but to be mentioned in the same breath of them makes me very proud.
"I realise there's a lot people to thank along the way, in terms of my previous managers when I've been an assistant, but also the players."
Having won his only game as caretaker manager at West Bromwich Albion, Shakespeare has a 100 percent record from six games as a boss after he was promoted from within the Leicester set-up following the controversial sacking of title-winning manager Claudio Ranieri.
The Italian was axed after a dramatic slump in form left Leicester flirting with relegation.
Defeat extended Stoke's win-less away run in the Premier League to four games.
Manager Mark Hughes admitted: "We were a little bit off the pace, probably half a yard short all day long." - AFP
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