Leicester manager Enzo Maresca was impressed with the way his side coped with a stern challenge as they edged to a 2-0 win at Norwich to maintain their excellent start to the Championship season.

Maresca’s team have now won six of their seven league games to lie second in the embryonic table but they were made to work hard for their success by a home side who had won all their games at Carrow Road before this one.

Kelechi Iheanacho and Kasey McAteer struck for the Foxes.

“I am very pleased with our performance because of the opponents we were up against,” he said.

“I have watched all their games and they usually score goals – 15 I think – so I am very pleased to come away with a win and a clean sheet.

“We had to work very hard for the points – I said to the lads afterwards that you can work on the way you play, the way you defend but you also have to have the desire out there on the pitch.

“The way the team defended was unbelievable, clearing the ball from corners and second and third phase play and that made all the difference tonight.”

Maresca made five changes to the side that won at Southampton last time out, with Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall among the players left on the bench, and he was delighted with the way the new-look line-up coped.

He said: “It’s a 46-game season and you can’t just rely on a small group of players. You need at least 20 and I want to get them all involved. You can’t just play in every game.

“It was tough because they went man for man, which meant our keeper (Mads Hermansen) saw a lot of the ball and he played an important role for us when we played out, and he also made a great save – I think he is the complete keeper.”

A tight match was settled by late goals in either half, with Leicester getting their noses in front in the 44th minute through Iheanacho’s penalty.

Referee Graham Scott pointed to the spot when Stephy Mavididi went down under a challenge from Christian Fassnacht and Iheanacho did the rest, despite a valiant effort from keeper Angus Gunn.

The Foxes had to withstand plenty of pressure after that, with Hermansen making a terrific reaction save to keep out a close-range header from Shane Duffy and Kenny McLean hitting the underside of the crossbar with a well judged chip.

But a well drilled defence stood firm and Leicester sealed the points in the 87th minute when Dewsbury-Hall squared for an unmarked McAteer to tap home.

Norwich head coach David Wagner felt hard done by afterwards.

“We are obviously disappointed to lose but I am fine with the performance – it was top class,” he said.

“I am unhappy we twice gave the ball away in the lead-up to the penalty but apart from that I am very pleased with the way we played.

“We were the better side in the second half and created three or four very good opportunities but unfortunately we were not clinical enough. The lads battled hard, never gave up and in the end were beaten by a quality side so we move on.

“I think Leicester will finish top this season and the rest of the teams will be battling for the other positions. It’s tough to take but I have every faith in this group of players going forwards.”

Striker Ashley Barnes limped off early in the second half and Wagner added: “It looks like knee ligaments and we will know more after a scan tomorrow. Hopefully it is not too serious but we have strength in depth now which is good.”

Leicester moved back into the top two of the Championship with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Norwich.

The Canaries had won all three of their previous games at Carrow Road this season and proved to be spirited opponents on a miserable evening in Norfolk.

But the visitors turned in a disciplined display to take all three points, with a Kelechi Iheanacho penalty on the stroke of half-time and a late tap-in from Kasey McAteer securing a sixth win in seven games for Enzo Maresca’s men.

A dull first half sprung to life in the dying minutes, with Leicester edging in front from the penalty spot.

Dangerman Stephy Mavididi set up the opener by bursting clear down the left flank and racing into the area, where his progress was halted by a shove in the back from Christian Fassnacht.

Referee Graham Scott pointed straight to the spot and Iheanacho did the rest, with Angus Gunn unable to keep out his well struck penalty despite getting a hand to it.

Moments later Mavididi was through again and this time he managed to get in a shot himself, with a curling effort drifting just wide of the far post.

Earlier both sides had struggled to create openings as they sought to build patiently from the back.

Fassnacht had a couple of shots for the Canaries, the latter drawing a comfortable save from Mads Hermansen, while defender Wout Faes went close with a pair of headers for the Foxes.

Despite losing striker Ashley Barnes to injury Norwich looked the side more likely to score early in the second period, although they again struggled to create decent openings.

The visitors seemed content to sit back and rely on the occasional counter-attack, with Gunn seeing precious little action.

Norwich continued to press and almost drew level in the 71st minute when it needed a superb reaction save from Hermansen to keep out a close-range header from Shane Duffy, who was picked out by a pinpoint cross from substitute Onel Hernandez.

They came even closer a few minutes later when Kenny McLean shipped an effort against the underside of the bar following a poor clearance from the otherwise excellent keeper.

It was all Norwich now, with Gabriel Sara brushing the side-netting with a 25-yard free-kick, although McAteer should have sealed it for the Foxes with a free header at the back post.

McAteer made up for that glaring miss by wrapping up the points for Leicester in the 87th minute.

A slick move ended with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall one on one with Gunn and instead of shooting the substitute squared for his unmarked colleague to side-foot home into an empty net.

Southampton manager Russell Martin insists Leicester should be criticised as much as his side despite winning 4-1 at St Mary’s.

Saints conceded after 21 seconds to a thumping Jamie Vardy finish before Kasey McAteer, Wilfred Ndidi and Stephy Mavididi also netted as the Foxes ran riot.

But Martin, who saw Sam Edozie pull one back and Kamaldeen Sulemana sent off late on, thinks the result did not reflect the two sides’ performances.

He said: “It is a very different feeling to Sunderland (5-0 defeat). I am proud of the players, people will criticise me for saying that but they did what we asked of them.

“I take loads from that and it was a much better performance than Sunderland.

“If anyone expected there not to be any pain when it is such a big change then they are very naive.

“Leicester lost the ball as much as we did but they have come out on the right end of the scoreline so Enzo (Maresca) will not get criticised.

“I asked the players to go toe to toe with a really good team and I thought it was a very good game.

“We made life difficult for ourselves by conceding two early goals. They were really clinical and we weren’t. They took their chances and we didn’t.

“People can read what they want into it but if we took our chances it is a very different scoreline.

“It was a tough atmosphere which I understand because we were 2-0 down in 20 minutes.

“They have to do their best to shut that out. But the only way we can get them off our backs is to win games and make everyone feel positive.

“On Tuesday both the fans and the players have a choice about how to approach it. The supporters have the choice of coming to support or causing anxieties.

“They have been great since I’ve been here and I’d have been annoyed if we had started like we did and lost.”

Vardy’s opener, his first in the Championship this season after Mavididi’s fine pull back, was followed quickly by McAteer controlling and slotting in after Saints gave the ball away in midfield.

Edozie bagged his second of the campaign but Ndidi’s finish handed the Foxes back their two-goal advantage before the interval, with Mavididi getting the goal his performance deserved in the 67th minute.

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca said: “I am very happy. Winning the game is always important, it is never easy but the performance on and off the ball was very good.

“Sometimes like tonight we were a little more clinical and more clear in our decision-making.

“Since day one we have arrived quite well in the last third but we miss the right choices and aren’t patient, but tonight it worked better.

“We still need to improve and add new solutions. I don’t like basketball games. We know they want the same way of playing as us – keep the ball and try to win. So we knew we couldn’t control the game for 90 minutes.

“The way we worked off the ball, how aggressive we were, was the key point.

“Stephy is an important player for us but tonight was a good performance from all the players.”

Jamie Vardy grabbed his first Championship goal of the season as Leicester climbed to the top of the table with a 4-1 thrashing of Southampton.

Vardy needed just 21 seconds to open the scoring before Kasey McAteer, Wilfred Ndidi and Stephy Mavididi made things dominant for the Foxes despite Sam Edozie’s goal.

Leicester and Southampton were the Championship’s favourites for promotion after their Premier League relegation last season.

Both had started with four matches unbeaten – including four wins for the Foxes – before suffering shock defeats before the international break.

As stunned as Southampton were at losing 5-0 to Sunderland, it was doubled by being behind inside a minute.

Former England striker Vardy made his first start since the opening day of the campaign and pounced in his trademark style after Mavididi had got in behind and pulled back.

Saints were lucky not to concede when Taylor Harwood-Bellis gave away the ball in his own area, but it was no surprise when Will Smallbone and Kyle Walker-Peters lost concentration and handed the ball over to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

The midfielder fed McAteer who controlled and finished past Gavin Bazunu in style in the 25th minute.

Che Adams had teed up Edozie only for the winger to air-kick before forcing Foxes keeper Mads Hermansen into a fine diving save.

The frontman caught Callum Doyle dithering in midfield and threaded a through ball to Edozie, who calmly clipped in his second professional goal.

The away side desperately pushed to regain their two-goal advantage.

Ndidi had a shot pushed behind by Bazunu, before the Irishman twice denied Mavididi’s weak efforts.

Mavididi proved his main skill was providing as he used his strength to turn a defender and then his vision to pick out Ndidi – who prodded in his first league goal since January 2021.

Southampton improved after being booed off at half-time, but had to wait until the 60th minute for a gilt-edged chance. Top scorer Adam Armstrong almost hit the back row of the stand from seven yards.

At the other end, Mavididi got clean through but used the outside of his boot to hit off target.

He did not miss next time, the summer signing from Montpellier led a three versus one break, ran around Smallbone and rolled past Bazunu.

It was the former Arsenal youngster’s second goal for the Foxes.

St Mary’s began to empty for the last half an hour, with the home fans missing more misplaced passes, ole’s from the travelling end and Kamaldeen Sulemana dismissed.

The winger was shown a straight red card for jumping in on James Justin deep into stoppage time.

Leicester continued their fairytale with a 3-0 victory over Club Brugge in their first ever Champions League match, on this day in 2016.

Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes were still riding high after their stunning Premier League title triumph the previous season when they headed to Belgium.

Marc Albrighton opened the scoring early in the first half, with Riyad Mahrez doubling their advantage from a free-kick before adding a third from the penalty spot in the second half.

Leicester would go on to reach the quarter-finals, eventually being knocked out by Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate.

Ranieri was sacked the day after their 2-1 last-16 first-leg defeat in Seville, with Craig Shakespeare overseeing a 2-0 second-leg win before the defeat to Atletico.

The Foxes went on to secure FA Cup glory in 2021 under Brendan Rodgers but were relegated to the Championship last season, seven years after being crowned Premier League champions.

Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who was killed in a 2018 helicopter crash, would “never have risked his life in this machine” if he knew safety processes had not been taking place, according to his son.

Mr Vichai and four others died when the Leonardo AW169 plummeted to the ground outside the club’s King Power Stadium on October 27, 2018, shortly after taking off from the pitch.

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) stated that the crash was caused by the pilot’s pedals becoming disconnected from the tail rotor as a component – a bearing – seized amid a build-up of pressure.

Investigators listed a series of contributory factors, such as Italian company Leonardo failing to share test flight results with the bearing manufacturer to confirm the type chosen was suitable for use in the aircraft.

Leonardo also did not require routine inspections of bearings to confirm they were in the condition expected against their original design.

The AAIB stressed that Leonardo did not need to take either of those actions under “regulatory requirements and guidance”.

Mr Vichai’s son, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who became Leicester chairman after his father’s death, said: “I am deeply saddened by the course of events.

“Almost five years after my father’s passing, this report provides concerning evidence against Leonardo.

“My father trusted that he had bought a safe helicopter from a world-renowned manufacturer.

“Had he known what we know now he would never have risked his life in this machine.

“The pain this causes me and my family is immeasurable and, as a family, we continue to struggle every day with our grief at the loss of my father.

“He was a great inspiration to me personally and we all loved him very much.”

A Leonardo spokeswoman said: “The AAIB has not directed any recommended actions to Leonardo.

“The AAIB final report rightly concludes that Leonardo complied with all regulatory requirements in both the design and manufacture of the AW169.”

The other people killed in the crash were Leicester employees Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz, who was also a professional pilot.

The AAIB’s 209-page report ruled out pilot error as a possible cause.

Litigation firm Stewarts said it has been retained by the families of Mr Vichai, Mr Swaffer and Ms Lechowicz.

Mr Vichai’s family are “considering their legal recourse against Leonardo” and “litigation has already been commenced in Italy” on behalf of the families of Mr Swaffer and Ms Lechowicz, it added.

Peter Neenan, a partner at Stewarts, described the report as “a frightening tale of missed opportunities” and claimed the crash was “an accident waiting to happen”.

Mr Swaffer’s mother, Deborah Sutton, said: “This, of course, is every mother’s worst nightmare and time is not healing.

“Eric and Izabela were an inseparable couple, devoted to each other and to their flying.

“Without them, there is an enormous hole in our lives. I think of them daily and miss them more than I can say.”

Ms Lechowicz’s sister, Kate Lechowicz, said: “My sister and Eric were such bright lights in my life, we shared many adventures, but they had so many more plans and dreams to accomplish.

“The outreach from friends across the aviation industry showed how they were respected, but the comments showed they were also well loved.

“Having recently bought their dream home, they were embarking on a new chapter in their lives – and were putting more time into animal welfare and other causes close to their hearts.”

In a statement issued on Wednesday morning, Foxes chief executive Susan Whelan said: “We commend the extensive and detailed body of work undertaken by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and welcome the publication of its report, in the hope it will contribute positively to the continued development of future aviation standards and safety.

“The tragic events of 27 October, 2018, will forever be etched into the memory of the Leicester City family. It was a night we experienced the devastating loss of our beloved chairman, friends, colleagues, and family members.

“Yet, in our grief, a sense of unity and strength was forged. The extraordinary support and kindness that was extended to those affected, by communities across Leicestershire, football and the wider world will never be forgotten.

“As we near the fifth anniversary of the accident, the families and loved ones of Khun Vichai, Kaveporn, Nusara, Eric and Izabela remain always in our thoughts, as those we lost remain always in our hearts.”

The pilot of the helicopter involved in a crash which killed Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha almost five years ago said “I’ve no idea what’s going on” as the aircraft was turning out of control.

Eric Swaffer, 53, made the comment seconds before the helicopter hit the ground outside the club’s King Power Stadium on October 27, 2018, a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) revealed.

Srivaddhanaprabha, employees Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, Mr Swaffer and his partner, Izabela Roza Lechowicz – also a professional pilot – were all killed in the accident, which happened shortly after the helicopter took off from the pitch.

The Leonardo AW169 helicopter reached an altitude of approximately 430ft before plummeting to the ground.

The pilot’s pedals became disconnected from the tail rotor, investigators found.

This resulted in the aircraft making a sharp right turn which was “impossible” to control.

The AAIB described this as “a catastrophic failure”, causing the helicopter to spin quickly, approximately five times.

As the helicopter was turning out of control, a shout of: “Hey, hey, hey!” came from the rear cabin, where Mr Vichai and his employees were seated, the AAIB said.

Mr Swaffer, who was a highly experienced pilot, responded by saying: “I’ve no idea what’s going on” and “uttered an exclamation”, according to the report.

He “performed the most appropriate actions” which included raising a lever to reduce the helicopter’s pitch angle and “cushion the impact”, the AAIB said.

The aircraft landed on a concrete step, coming to a rest on its left side.

Four of the five occupants survived the initial impact, but no-one survived due to the helicopter catching fire within a minute following a major fuel leak.

The crash occurred around an hour after a Premier League match between Leicester and West Ham.

The AAIB inquiry found that the control system failed because a bearing in the tail rotor broke up due to its ceramic balls sliding rather than rolling, due to a build-up of pressure.

Asked if this was “an accident waiting to happen”, Adrian Cope, AAIB senior inspector for engineering told reporters: “It was a process which built up continuously.

“The damage in that bearing built up over a period of time.”

Inspection of the bearing was only required once it has been used for 400 hours, but the helicopter had only been flown for 331 hours when the accident happened.

One of the “contributory factors” for the crash was that regulations do not require maintenance checks to review the condition of used bearings against their original design, the AAIB said.

The 209-page report ruled out drone involvement and pilot error.

The AAIB’s chief inspector of air accidents Crispin Orr said: “The AAIB has carried out an extensive investigation to establish why the accident happened and how safety can be improved.”

Authorities from Canada, France, Italy and the United States were also involved in the investigation because of where various significant components were manufactured.

The AAIB made eight safety recommendations to the European Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) – whose rules for aircraft certification are mirrored by the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK – to “address weaknesses or omissions” in regulations for certifying helicopters.

These deal with the design, validation and monitoring of safety critical components.

Other changes were made to the AW169 and AW189 fleets by the manufacturer and Easa as investigators became aware of issues.

A statue of Mr Vichai was unveiled at the stadium in April last year.

Enzo Maresca felt his Leicester side should have been more clinical after surrendering their 100 per cent start to the season when going down 1-0 to Hull at the King Power Stadium.

The Foxes had 21 shots on goal, but still suffered their first defeat of the season.

A 15th-minute goal from Liam Delap proved enough to give Liam Rosenior’s team victory.

Maresca felt Leicester should have made more of the game, but in the end, they only had one shot on target.

However, he said there was “no drama” following a result which saw Leicester knocked off the top of the table.

“We cannot think we’re not going to lose a single game this season,” said Maresca. “We’ve played seven matches so far, and you’d said to me at the start that we’re going to win six and lose one, I’d have accepted it.

“But we need to judge results, we probably deserved something more but it didn’t happen. So we keep going, it’s not a drama.

“We probably needed to be a bit more clinical when you shoot more than 20 times. But we started in the right way before they scored.

“Then we lost a little bit of control. In the second half, we were aggressive and in control. But sometimes this can happen. In the second half, there is nothing to say other then we needed to score.”

Hull manager Liam Rosenior said he would still have been “proud” of his side’s display even if they had conceded late on.

He said: “We came here with bravery, we were fearless and we wanted to play our way. We changed our press because Leicester are an outstanding team. But at the end, we were throwing our bodies on the line. We didn’t want Leicester to have any rhythm.”

Rosenior highlighted the performance of defender Alfie Jones as Hull frustrated Leicester.

“For a centre half to be asked to play against Kelechi Iheanacho one for one on the back line, he was immense, I don’t normally single out players, but his performance was everything I want from a centre half,” said the Hull manager.

“He was magnificent and it was a joy to watch him.”

But Rosenior also praised Delap for his second goal of the season.

He added: “He’s scaring the life out of defenders at the moment, I said it when we signed him, I think he suits this style of play.

“For me, he’s enjoying it here, he’s got so much work to do and there’s so much room for improvement in his game. But his physical attributes and his technical stuff is absolutely top. I’m so delighted he’s with us.

“I think we earned the result. When you come away from home, you don’t expect to get the rub of the green, but I felt a lot more decisions went Leicester’s way than maybe they should’ve done.

“We were better here with the ball, this result leaves us with in a really good place, we have aims and ambitions this season, but there’s a long way to go.”

Liam Delap’s first-half strike brought an end to Leciester’s 100 per cent start to the Sky Bet Championship season and earn Hull a 1-0 win at the King Power Stadium.

It was also Leicester’s first defeat of the campaign in all competitions as Manchester City loanee Delap’s goal was enough to give Hull their third league win of the campaign.

The closest Enzo Maresca’s side came to an eqauliser was when second-half substitute Abdul Fatawu hit the post.

But it was a result that knocked the promotion favourites off the top of the Championship table, on a day when they had been hoping to stretch their winning run to seven games.

Leicester started strongly and captain Ricardo Pereira sent a shot from inside the area just wide of the upright.

But it was Hull who took the lead after 15 minutes when Delap cut in from the right and delivered a shot which took a deflection off Leicester defender Jannik Vestergaard to keep it out of goalkeeper Mads Hermansen’s reach.

Leicester were frustrated for long spells as Kelechi Iheanacho saw a handball appeal turned down, and Harry Winks floated a shot just over the bar from 20 yards out.

In first half stoppage time Iheanacho saw a shot cleared off the line by Hull midfielder Regan Slate after a mix-up with goalkeeper Matt Ingram. But the Leicester striker had already been flagged offside.

Leicester manager Maresca made a triple substitution seven minutes into the second half, but Hull should have had a second goal soon after when Delap supplied Aaron Connolly in the 18-yard box, but he put his shot over the bar.

One of Maresca’s substitutes then came close to putting Leicester level after 62 minutes. Winger Fatawu, who joined on loan from Sporting Lisbon on Thursday, curled a shot against the base of the post.

But Hull were still looking for a second goal and Hermansen had to parry a Cyrus Christie shot over the bar, before the Leicester goalkeeper saved at his near post from Scott Twine.

Maresca brought on Jamie Vardy with 22 minutes to go, but Leicester still struggled to find a way through the Hull defence.

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca hailed the contribution of veteran striker Jamie Vardy as the Foxes continued their flying start to the season with a 2-0 Carabao Cup victory at Tranmere.

Second-half strikes from Wilfred Ndidi and former England international Vardy proved the difference as the Championship side ran out 2-0 victors against their League Two opponents.

It was a sixth win out of six for Leicester in all competitions this season and saw 36-year-old Vardy open his account for the campaign after returning to the starting line-up.

Maresca said: “I’m happy to continue in this competition and I’m happy for the players, especially the young players who don’t play every week.

“I’ve been really happy with Jamie Vardy because when a striker scores they are always happy for them as well as the team.

“He’s been performing well when he starts and as well when he’s been on the bench and his contribution has been amazing.”

The Foxes enjoyed large amounts of possession in the opening stages of the second-round clash at Prenton Park and had a number of chances to open the scoring with Harry Winks coming the closest after seven minutes.

But the 2016 Premier League champions did not have it all their own way with Rovers growing in confidence and, after defending resolutely for half an hour, created some decent openings through Dan Pike and Josh Hawkes.

The deadlock was finally broken nine minutes after the break when Ndidi’s effort from the right side of the box found its way into the net via both posts, and just four minutes later Vardy put the result beyond doubt with a close-range header from an Ndidi cross.

Further chances fell to the visitors as Rovers pushed forward with Vardy and Ndidi who were both foiled by Joe Murphy, a veteran of the meeting between these two in the final of this competition at Wembley 23-years ago.

Maresca added: “I was not happy at half-time so made some changes and we’ve played six games in around 20 days and we have one more to go before the international break.

“We’ve won six from six now and all the attention now turns to the game on Saturday before the international break when some of the players can conserve their energy.”

Despite the defeat, Tranmere manager Ian Dawes was keen to focus on the positives from the encounter.

He said: “We knew going into the game today that they don’t make many changes, they go really strong and the manager takes the competition seriously.

“We knew we had to get our defensive organisation right and we knew we needed to limit their chances on goal and push up as the game went on.

“We had to stifle the game a little bit, keep possession and then make opportunities ourselves and I thought we did that really well and it all went to plan and they probably scored the first goal when we were on top.

“We’ve got to be positive at the end of it, it still hurts getting beat and we obviously wanted to go through, but you’ve got to look at what they’ve got on the pitch.

“You look at their team and they’ve still got Premier League players in their team and taking things into context we can be nothing but positive and we have to take that into Saturday against Wrexham.”

Leicester were made to work hard for their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup with a battling 2-0 win over Tranmere at Prenton Park.

Second-half strikes from Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy proved to be the difference as the Foxes weathered a number of early scares to overcome their League Two opponents.

The Foxes enjoyed much of the possession in the early stages and could have taken the lead as early as the seventh minute when Harry Winks’ long-range effort flew narrowly wide.

The 2016 Premier League champions continued to dominate with further chances as Cesare Casadei’s header flew narrowly over the Rovers crossbar.

The visitors did not have it all their own way, however, and having defended resolutely and frustrating their Championship opponents for large periods of the game, Tranmere almost took the lead themselves when Dan Pike’s 20-yard effort was pushed out by Jakub Stolarczyk in the Leicester goal.

But the pressure eventually told after 55 minutes when Ndidi’s effort from the corner of the box ended up in the back of the net via both posts.

And just four minutes later Leicester doubled their lead when Vardy was on the spot to force the ball home from close range following an Ndidi cross right in front of the huge travelling support to make the game safe.

It is now five wins out of five in all competitions for Enzo Maresca’s side who will be in the hat for the third-round draw having also won their opening four matches of the Championship campaign.

Head coach Enzo Maresca believes Kasey McAteer could become a key player for Leicester as his brace secured a 2-1 victory at Rotherham.

McAteer netted either side of a leveller from Fred Onyedinma to maintain the Foxes’ 100 per cent record this campaign and leave them out in front at the top of the Sky Bet Championship.

The 21-year-old homegrown talent is establishing himself in the Italian’s side after enjoying loan spells at Forest Green and AFC Wimbledon in the past.

Maresca said: “I was very happy with him, for the two goals but also the way he works off the ball. He helps a lot.

“He is working the right way and he helps us out. I’m happy for him and the academy.

“I really like him, not just because he scored. I like the way he works and he sacrifices. He helps a lot without the ball. He is an important player.

“It was a very good performance. They score many goals from set-pieces, the delivery from Cafu is unbelievable. I think we were very good defensively. We fought in the right way.”

Rotherham thought they had gone ahead when Jordan Hugill touched in Cafu’s corner but referee Simon Hooper ruled the goal out after a long consultation with his assistant.

Leicester did take the lead after 12 minutes through McAteer, who was perfectly positioned to guide in Kelechi Iheanacho’s back-post cross.

Onyedinma levelled for Rotherham early in the second period as he managed to get enough of a touch on Andre Green’s cross to beat Hermansen.

Leicester snatched the three points clinically with seven minutes left to play when McAteer bent home after being found by Callum Doyle’s diagonal pass.

Rotherham manager Matt Taylor said: “We’re in a little bit of pain right now. Bar the first 45 minutes at Stoke we have competed and showed signs of being a really good team, but not picked up the points we deserved.

“We more than matched one of the best teams in the league. They just had a little bit more on the pitch and the bench.

“People spoke about what it was in terms of the levels of the opposition but it’s irrelevant – we have to be where we need to be and that is a front foot team.

“The players put everything into it, I just wish I could help them a little bit more.”

Taylor also explained the disallowed goal.

“I spoke to the officials and it was disallowed for two reasons. A foul on the goalkeeper and offside. Both were marginal,” added Taylor. “If that is a foul then a lot is going to get given from set-pieces.

“What happened in that moment does not excuse the lack of concentration for their goal.

“It was a well-worked goal from their point of view but poor from ourselves. The second goal was a mirror image. We just switched off.

“Little moments have let us down and gone against us.”

Leicester left it late to preserve their 100 per cent start to the season with a 2-1 win at Rotherham.

It had been a spirited display from the Millers but Kasey McAteer’s double proved enough for Enzo Maresca’s side, who snatched maximum points with seven minutes left to play.

Rotherham thought they had taken a ninth-minute lead when Jordan Hugill flicked in Cafu’s wicked corner but referee Simon Hooper ruled it out after consulting his assistant.

Leicester were instead celebrating in the 12th minute when Kelechi Iheanacho delivered to the back post for McAteer to nod beyond goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.

Only a solid tackle from Tyler Blackett denied Leicester a second when Stephy Mavididi threatened.

Fred Onyedinma’s cross then found Cafu but his looping header back across goal went over the Leicester crossbar.

Rotherham again caused trouble down the right and Ollie Rathbone’s deflected cross had to be clawed away from trouble by Mads Hermansen.

Ricardo Pereira then tested Johansson with a powerful strike from range but the former Foxes goalkeeper managed to keep hold of it.

Leicester launched a counter-attack just before the break, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall setting Mavididi through down the left but he took the effort on his right foot and it was gathered by Johansson.

The home side made a positive start to the second half with Andre Green rising highest from Cafu’s corner but his effort was off target.

They made the pressure count after 53 minutes when Green crossed for Onyedinma, whose flicked header snuck in at the far post.

Rotherham were restricting the visitors to shots from distance, with Wout Faes being denied by a block and Callum Doyle firing over.

A more intricate move led to a shot from Mavididi but it was held by Johansson.

Substitute Jamie Vardy was lurking in search of a winner and had a great opportunity from Dewsbury-Hall’s centre but Blackett got in the way. Cesare Casadei then headed straight at Johansson in the aftermath.

The winner came after 83 minutes. Doyle picked out McAteer who took the ball onto his left boot and curled an effort into the far corner.

Rotherham could have levelled again but substitute Tom Eaves could not head in Dexter Lembikisa’s cross from close range.

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca hailed debutant Cesare Casadei for the late goal that secured a history-making 2-1 win at home to Cardiff.

It enabled the Foxes to celebrate four straight wins at the start of a season for the first time.

A fine strike from Aaron Ramsey looked like earning Cardiff a point after Wanya Marcal-Madivadua fired Maresca’s hosts ahead.

But on-loan Chelsea midfielder Casadei had the last word to leave Cardiff, who saw defender Mahlon Romeo sent off deep into stoppage time, remain winless under their new manager Erol Bulut.

The 20-year-old Casadei, who had only arrived on Wednesday, came off the bench to lash home a last-gasp clincher before referee Graham Scott could blow for a penalty for a foul on Jamie Vardy.

“I said to Cesare the only way to score a goal for an attacking midfielder is to be inside the box,” said Maresca.

“Everything in football happens inside the box. Ramsey scored from 40 metres but this is Ramsey, it doesn’t happen often. Cesare, one of his strengths is to arrive in the box.”

Maresca inherited a squad that suffered relegation from the Premier League last term and he has since seen fan favourites James Maddison and Harvey Barnes leave.

More departures could follow but Maresca was delighted that the players who remained had got the season off and running so well.

A tailing-off in performance towards the end of the game was understandable too, he added.

“It is important always to win a game and in this moment especially for the fans and the club after last year,” he said.

“It is important to renew new energy but also I analyse not only the results. It was important to see how the team improves game after game.

“Probably for me it was our best half. We created many chances, we scored a goal and after that Stephy (Mavididi) had a chance one-on-one with the keeper and after that there was a clear penalty for Stephy. After that we conceded just one shot, a goal from Ramsey that was unbelievable and we started the second half still thinking about the goal.

“In this moment we cannot think the team over 90 or 105 minutes is also playing like the first half.”

Marcal-Madivadua’s 36th-minute opener – a high-velocity effort from 15 yards out through a crowd of players after Cardiff had failed to clear a corner – was a first senior goal for the 20-year-old from Portugal.

Out of nowhere, however, Ramsey launched a stoppage-time long-ranger into the top corner to level.

“I think goal of the year maybe,” said Bluebirds boss Bulut. “You don’t always see goals like this and it was the reason we got back in the game.”

That was true and Cardiff might have gone ahead when half-time substitute Yakou Meite was sent through by Romeo but could not hit the target.

“In the second half we had our chances,” Bulut said. “Meite’s was the biggest one. He, in my opinion, hit it a bit quick.

Casadei made Cardiff pay at the death with a winner and Romeo’s second yellow for barging Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall over off the ball swiftly followed.

Cardiff were left to rue what might have been, as they had at Leeds on the opening day when a two-goal lead was finally surrendered in stoppage time.

“What I have to say, and I have said it also before in Leeds, where we were leading at 90-plus, that football is details. With details you win, with details you lose,” Bulut said.

“The second half from my team was great. How many chances to you need to create against Leicester to win the game? Today we could have made it 2-1 and maybe 3-1. We should have won the game but in the end we didn’t manage to score and we lost unluckily.

“These are the things we have to manage better. When we have the chances we have to take them.”

Debutant Cesare Casadei came off the bench to score the late goal that secured Leicester a 2-1 win at home to Cardiff in the Sky Bet Championship.

That enabled the Foxes to celebrate four straight wins at the start of a season for the first time in the club’s history.

A fine strike from Aaron Ramsey looked like earning Cardiff a point after Wanya Marcal-Madivadua had fired Enzo Maresca’s hosts ahead.

But on-loan Chelsea midfielder Casadei had the last word to leave Cardiff, who saw defender Mahlon Romeo sent off deep into stoppage time, remain winless under their new manager Erol Bulut.

Foxes forward Stephy Mavididi earned an early booking for a mistimed challenge on Josh Bowler but it was not long before Leicester came close to taking the lead.

Kelechi Iheanacho curled a shot from the edge of the area beyond goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, who was relieved to see it bounce back off his right-hand post.

Ike Ugbo, set up by Ramsey, replied with a Cardiff header that cleared the crossbar but the next chance was Leicester’s, with Jamilu Collins’s intervention taking the sting off Mavididi’s shot.

Iheanacho was next to see a shot partially blocked, again to Alnwick’s relief as the ball dropped past his other post this time.

Referee Graham Scott denied the hosts a penalty on the half-hour mark when Romeo, having seen the ball pushed past him, shoulder-charged Mavididi.

A goal was coming and Marcal-Madivadua supplied it in sensational style in the 36th minute by lashing a high-velocity effort from 15 yards through a crowd of players after Cardiff had failed to clear a corner. It was a first senior goal for the 20-year-old from Portugal.

Alnwick had to make saves from Mavididi and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall soon after and those proved crucial as, out of nowhere, Ramsey launched a stoppage-time long-ranger into the top corner to level.

Ramsey was denied a second early in the second-half by a block by Jannik Vestergaard after Yakou Meite, on for Ugbo, had played him in. Mads Hermansen then saved from Joe Ralls in the aftermath.

That roused Leicester and Alnwick had to make a good save to deny Callum Doyle, who went close with a deflected effort soon after.

Ramsey fired at Hermansen after the hour mark, however, before Cardiff substitute Karlan Grant found the side netting. Meite, sent through by Romeo, then sent a great chance to win it wide with nine minutes remaining.

Casadei made Cardiff pay in stoppage time with a winner. The substitute lashed home in the box after Dewsbury-Hall’s shot had been blocked by Jack Simpson and rebounded to Jamie Vardy.

Vardy went down seemingly fouled but referee Scott played on to allow the Italian to have the final word.

Scott then showed a second yellow to Romeo for barging Dewsbury-Hall over off the ball.