Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri has revealed that he was "proud" of his players after they produced a strong display to defeat Newcastle United 3-0 at St James' Park to move top of the Premier League.

Jamie Vardy made history when he put the Foxes ahead in the first half by scoring in his 10th successive Premier League match, taking his tally for the season to 13 strikes.

Leonardo Ulloa and Shinji Okazaki netted in the second half to complete the victory for Ranieri's men to move them above Arsenal and Manchester City to the summit of the top flight.

Ranieri told BBC Sport: "I am very proud because the players played like a team. They played good football and the fans who came here enjoyed it. I want to thank the fans and the players for making a fantastic performance.

"We must continue this. Now arrive the big teams and we can only play and see what happens. It is good for Jamie Vardy and everybody. He is very confident and the teammates believe something can happen when he gets the ball.

"I also had Gabriel Batistuta score in 11 consecutive matches, but Jamie came from the non-league and he looks very confident. When a team wins and plays well, the manager is always happy."

Vardy can break Ruud van Nistelrooy's Premier League record by scoring in 11 consecutive games when his side face Manchester United next week.