Leicester City boss Enzo Marsca says Monday’s win at Birmingham may prove to be the promotion-chasing Foxes’ most significant victory of the season.

It also widened the gap to third-placed Leeds to 13-points after 22 games, as the top two chase automatic promotion to the Premier League.

“For me it’s probably one of the most important, or the most important win of the season.”

Italian Maresca made his feelings known to his players after full-time, with goalscorer Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall saying everyone “understood it was a very big game” after second-placed Ipswich Town and Leeds were held to draws on Saturday.

“The gaffer said at full-time that when we look back, that could be one of the biggest wins of the season,” Dewsbury-Hall said.

“A lot of things happened at the weekend with other teams, so it was important for us that we tried to get a win and we managed to do that.”

Two goals from Stephy Mavididi – including a stunning effort on the counter-attack to score the opener just 13 seconds after Blues saw the ball come off the post at the other end – proved decisive.

Dewsbury-Hall’s first-half strike to restore Leicester’s lead against Wayne Rooney’s Birmingham side was also scored on the counter – and very much out of the ordinary for a Foxes side that has focused on meticulous build-up play and patience under Maresca.