Leicester begins Rodgers era with 2-1 win over Brighton

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LEICESTER, England (AP) — Leicester held on to beat Brighton 2-1 in the Premier League on Tuesday and begin the Brendan Rodgers era with the team's first victory since New Year's Day.

Rodgers quit Scottish champion Celtic to sign a 3½-year deal at Leicester just before kickoff and watched the game from the stands.

The former Liverpool manager saw Demarai Gray give Leicester a 10th-minute lead, and Jamie Vardy made it 2-0 after running onto James Maddison's pass and scoring in the 63rd.

Davy Propper pulled a goal back for Brighton, which dominated large spells at King Power Stadium but lacked a cutting edge. The visitors are just three points above the relegation zone with 10 games left.

Leicester had lost seven of its previous nine games but dug in to rise to 11th place, 11 points clear of the bottom three.