Jamie Vardy has revealed he had spotted Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet off his lines before striking the 30-yard screamer which rocked the King Power stadium and the lethal striker also believes he will never be able to score a goal like this.
Vardy has taken his tally to 18 goals now this term, and his first one really chilled the blood of Premier League rivals Manchester City and Arsenal, who will next face Claudio Ranieri’s league leaders.
When asked if he has scored a goal better than this, he said after the match: “I don’t think I will ever score a better one to be fair. But a goal is a goal and, more importantly, it’s three points.
“I watched their keeper and he was coming quite far off his line. As soon as the ball came through and bounced, I just took my chance and luckily it went over him.”
Vardy, who has been reportedly offered a £80,000-per-week new contract by Leicester, doubled his team’s lead on 71 minutes to make sure Jurgen Klopp’s team left without a point.
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri also hailed his match-winner saying: “It was a fantastic goal — an unbelievable pass from Riyad Mahrez and unbelievable what Vardy did.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp blew his top in the post-match interview but ultimately managed to calm down enough to hail Vardy’s brilliance.
He said: “It was a world-class goal. It’s nice to be in the stadium when he scores — but in an ideal world you are not the manager of the other team!
“We had the ball in their box and didn’t shoot – one second later Vardy scored.
“That says everything about the game.”
Vardy currently earns £40,000-a-week in a contract that has the best part of two-and-a -half years to run, has been given a staggering salary hike. The reported contract offer also shows the measure of Leicester’s determination to keep a hold on to their key members and to provide a statement at a time when they have a brilliant opportunity to finish in the top four and qualify for next season’s Champions League.
While the England striker signed his existing contract just 16 months ago, at that time he had yet to play in the Premier League, let alone play for his country. Vardy has since then won four international caps, after being called up by Roy Hodgson for the first time last May, and now Vardy is the Premier League’s leading scorer this term, with 16 goals.