Wes Morgan is confident Leicester’s challenge for the Premier League title will not be derailed by the dispiriting manner of their 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, insisting they will draw encouragement from a tenacious performance and bounce back swiftly.

The dismissal of Danny Simpson meant Leicester played most of the second half at the Emirates Stadium with 10 men, but they were on course for a point until the dying seconds, when a dramatic intervention by the substitute Danny Welbeck sealed a league double for Arsenal over Claudio Ranieri’s side.

It was Leicester’s third Premier League defeat of the season and they remain two points clear of Tottenham and Arsenal at the top and do not face another top-five side for the remainder of the campaign. Successive home games against Norwich and West Brom lie in wait after the international break, and Morgan is adamant there will be no hangover.

“It’s just disappointing to lose the way we did more than anything,” said the Leicester defender. “We have to take heart from this game and our confidence will be the same. We’ll make sure we bounce back in the next game.

“It’s always going to be difficult going down to 10 men against the likes of Arsenal. What’s most disappointing is that we’ve stuck in there right until the last kick of the game and then conceded. It is a bitter pill to take but we’ll take the positives. We’ve shown our endeavour, our togetherness and how well we can stick in there when it goes against us.”

Morgan’s sentiments were echoed by Kasper Schmeichel, who said: “It is a loss, we move on and we will have the same attitude. We have as good a chance as anyone to have a very good season.”

With a stable side the bedrock of their remarkable campaign, Leicester should benefit more than most from the fortnight-long Premier League hiatus. Morgan has dismissed talk of the physical toll exacted by the rigours of Ranieri’s pressing game and their explosive counterattacking style, claiming Leicester are simply enjoying a run that has won them admirers the length and breadth of the country.

“We’re training most days and it’s part of the job,” said the Jamaica international. “You have to have that fitness to compete at this level. We’re a team that likes to counterattack with pace and power and you need to have the legs and the energy to do that.

“We’re the underdogs and the most unlikely team to be in the position we are. Everyone loves an underdog and that’s us at the moment. We’re delighted to have that backing.

“You have to relish and enjoy it. There’s not many people who get to be top and fight for the title in the Premier League. We’re the type of team where the pressure won’t really get to us and we’re enjoying every game as it comes. We just want to prove how good we can be.”