Jordan James embodied the resilience displayed by Leicester City as the midfielder fought through discomfort to net a crucial late winner against Norwich.
James surged into the area and powered home a 92nd-minute header from Abdul Fatawu’s delivery to hand City their first victory in six matches and lift them back into the top half of the table.
Manager Marti Cifuentes was impressed with how his players reacted to the setback of falling behind, particularly following the frustration of Middlesbrough’s late leveller earlier in the week.
And there was no one who reflected that determination more than James, who pushed through exhaustion and pain to grab the decisive goal for City.
Cifuentes has substituted the Wales international in nine of his previous ten starts, with a sore back troubling him lately, but this time the manager kept him on the pitch — a decision that proved fruitful.
The travelling fans certainly recognised James’ impact, chanting his name loudly at full-time.
“I’m very pleased, I’m very happy, especially for the players because the last few days have not been easy,” Cifuentes said.
“It was a big blow on Tuesday and the way this game developed, conceding the goal in the build-up situation, the personality we showed to keep playing, to believe in what we are trying to do and do it at the level we did in the last 25 minutes and finish as the better team, it shows very strong character and cultural strength that we want to have.
“JJ, was one of his best strengths is his capacity to get from the second line into the box. He has done brilliantly today. As well he was feeling tired, a bit of pain, which is normal in a week like this.
“But he showed real character for not only the goal but the way he’s contributing to the whole team. He’s been a brilliant addition.”
By securing their first win in six and only their second in 11 outings, City have climbed back into the top half of the standings. They now occupy 12th place, just four points adrift of the play-off spots.