The midfielder scored his first goal for the club, six-and-a-half years after joining, to help Leicester City earn a superb 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium
Papy Mendy’s maiden Leicester City goal earned him a round of applause from his team-mates as the club’s “unsung hero” got his moment in the sun on Saturday.
Six-and-a-half years after he joined and on his 109th appearance for the club, Mendy found the net for the first time in blue, hitting a brilliant strike to the top corner. It sparked a superb turnaround as City claimed one of their best wins of the season, beating Tottenham 4-1.
Mendy, who is the third longest-serving member of the squad behind only Jamie Vardy and Daniel Amartey, was given a standing ovation for his performance by the City fans, the Senegalese international also making a handful of important tackles. The appreciation continued when he returned to the dressing room after the game.
“He was brilliant today, Papy,” Brendan Rodgers, the manager, said. “I believe it was his second goal of his career, and I’m confident it will be his best. It was a fantastic strike.
Tim (Castagne) nearly scored with a header after a great flick-on, but they defended well. I can’t say he does it every time in practice, but he has caught it and it’s a fantastic strike.
“As you might expect, he received a round of applause” (in the dressing room). Everyone was overjoyed for him.
“He’s such an unsung hero. He doesn’t play so much, but every single day, it is as if he is preparing to play. That really helps the spirit and the dynamic of the group. I think everyone is delighted for him. It was a brilliant goal.”
Mendy’s equaliser helped City to take control of the game, and they quickly grabbed the lead through James Maddison. Kelechi Iheanacho netted just before half-time, and then Harvey Barnes grabbed the fourth goal in a dominant second half showing.
Rodgers added: “It was a brilliant performance by the players. It was a brave performance, with the front threat Spurs have. They have big talents up front. To be as brave as they were and to commit to the press, that allowed us to have the dynamism when we got the ball back.
“It was everything I would want in the team: aggressive, strong, competitive. We were really fluent when we had the ball. We had so many great attacking moments today.
“We played with a great energy against a Champions League team. It was a great day all around. The supporters were amazing and really pushed the team.”
