Leicester return to winning ways against Brighton as Brendan Rodgers watches on

Leicester City 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion: Only poor finishing from the visitors allowed the Foxes to start the post-Puel era with a victory thanks to goals by Demarai Gray and Jamie Vardy

Brendan Rodgers took the acclaim of the Leicester City public then watched his new side claim just the kind of thrilling victory he has been recruited to provide.

Whether the new Foxes manager, lured from Celtic on a three-and-a-half-year contract, will welcome the kind of open, leave-it-to-chance success his new charges served up is quite another matter.

Claude Puel was hounded out of the King Power Stadium for a perceived lack of excitement and passion in his 16 months at the helm.

Rodgers arrives with a reputation for something altogether more exhilarating, but he watched from the stands as Puel’s former side relied on a large dose of good fortune to see off Brighton.

Only poor finishing – most notably an extraordinary miss by Glenn Murray in the second half – allowed Leicester to start the post-Puel era with a victory thanks to goals by Demarai Gray in the first half and Jamie Vardy in the second, with Brighton responding through Davy Propper to leave Rodgers and caretaker managers Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler living on the edge.

There was a promising start for Leicester and they might have opened the scoring on six minutes when Youri Tielemans and Ricardo Pereira combined to pick a hole in the Brighton rearguard.

Ricardo fed James Maddison, who wriggled past two defenders and crossed for Vardy, but his snap-shot was blocked by a sprawling Shane Duffy.

The defender was needed again moments later to stop a long-range effort from Tielemans.

The goal the hosts had threatened arrived in the 10th minute when Brighton paid a heavy price for dwelling on the ball just inside the Leicester half.

Harvey Barnes began the job of stealing possession that was completed by Wilfred Ndidi, who then fed Tielemans with space to attack.

James Maddison in action for Leicester (REUTERS)

The Belgian took his time before his carefully disguised pass picked out the run of Gray, who drove towards goal and fired a right-footed shot that found the net despite a touch by goalkeeper Mat Ryan.

Another useful Leicester move on 14 minutes should have given Gray a second goal but, after Barnes had released Ben Chilwell and the full-back had picked out Gray, his shot was well saved by Ryan.

Duffy headed wide for Brighton from a Pascal Gross corner but, suddenly, Brighton offered a threat out of nowhere through Gross.

His right-footed effort took a wicked deflection and forced Kasper Schmeichel into a good, one-handed save as the ball shaped to dip beneath his crossbar.

A powerful run by Barnes ended with a vital interception by Gaetan Bong, but Brighton should have levelled nine minutes before half-time when a cross from the left found Anthony Knockaert.

The former Leicester forward struck his shot sweetly but Schmeichel made a fine, low save.

Demarai Gray put the Foxes ahead on the 10-minute mark (REUTERS)

Davy Propper then bent a shot just wide at the near post as the visitors ended the first half well on top.

In the opening seconds of the second half, Vardy glanced a header wide from a cross by Gray before Murray squandered a glorious chance to draw Brighton level.

After Maddison had surrendered possession cheaply, Knockaert fed Gross, whose impudent backheel was perfect for Murray, only for the striker to blaze a shot over the crossbar from six yards out.

Substitute Yves Bissouma fired a 20-yard effort narrowly off target on 61 minutes as Brighton continued to look more threatening despite some dangerous Leicester possession.

Yet on 64 minutes their hopes of a comeback were diminished by the predatory instincts of Vardy.

Brendan Rodgers was introduced as Leicester’s new manager before the game (Getty Images)

After neat touches by Tielemans and Ricardo, Vardy peeled away from Dale Stephens to collect a Maddison pass before rifling a low shot past Ryan for 2-0.

Yet just three minutes later there was fresh hope for the visitors as Leicester failed to clear and Propper took a touch just inside the penalty area before drilling a low shot past Schmeichel.

Barnes then hammered a shot into the side netting to deny Leicester a restoration of their two-goal advantage.