CLAUDIO RANIERI hailed his Leicester "basement" dwellers as they stayed in step with their high-rise Premier League rivals on Tuesday night.
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| Leicester were bottom of the Premier League last Christmas but now they're joint top under Ranieri |
Leicester's draw with Manchester City means they will finish 2015 level on points with leaders Arsenal - after starting 2015 at the bottom - and very much in the most open title race for years.
Ranieri underlined the gulf in spending with the Gunners and City when he said: "We're the basement and the other teams are a villa with a swimming pool.
"It's a miracle what we're doing. I'd love this to continue but it's not easy. I'd like my players to continue to fight like today. It's fantastic. I can only say well done to our players and our fans are unbelievable, they support us and they push us. 2015 was fantastic but I hope 2016 will be even better."
Ranieri was delighted with the way his players responded after the Boxing Day defeat at Liverpool prompted suggestions his team's bubble had burst.
He added: "I wanted to see how my players responded after the Liverpool defeat and they responded well. This league is very crazy - nobody wants to win the league. It's very strange."
Having virtually reached the safety of 40 points - they have 39 - Ranieri says he will now discuss with his players their next target.
"I will speak with the players about what I think we can achieve in the second half of the season but I really want to know their ambitions and what they think they can achieve."
City boss Manuel Pellegrini was left frustrated his side failed to end their poor away run. After winning their first three away games of the season, they have now gone six without a victory - three draws and three defeats - and have scored only two goals.
He said: "I think we did more than Leicester to win the game. We had more possession, more attempts, more options but it was a tough game against a tough team playing away.
"This is a crucial period. I think at the end of January we will know exactly what position we are in. We will know if we are in the FA Cup and the final of the Capital One Cup and we have five or six very important Premier League games."
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