Leicester City 3-1 West Ham United
Premier League, King Power Stadium, Tuesday 3 December 2024, 8.15pm GMT
West Ham United endured another night of frustration as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Leicester City in the hosts' first match under the stewardship of new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The Foxes got off to a flying start at King Power Stadium, going ahead thanks to a second-minute goal from Jamie Vardy, which was eventually given after a lengthy VAR check.
Despite West Ham creating multiple goal attempts, shots on target and corners for the first hour of the game, out of nowhere, Bilal El Khannouss struck to seize control for the Foxes.
Patson Daka’s third in stoppage time put gloss on the scoreline, and though visiting substitute Niclas Füllkrug netted a consolation - his first in Claret and Blue on his first appearance since August - it couldn't dampen the home side’s evening.
Had Dutch boss van Nistelrooy dreamed of the perfect start to his tenure in the East Midlands when he fell to sleep last night, he could scarcely have hoped for anything better than the move which led to Vardy’s opening goal shortly after the first whistle.
In a move that started at the back, Victor Kristiansen lofted the ball into the left channel to release El Khannouss. He then produced a brilliantly-disguised and defence-splitting angled pass into Vardy. With plenty of room for back lift, the striker slotted the ball delicately into the bottom corner, with the goal awarded after the aforementioned four-minute check upstairs for offside.
With West Ham still licking their wounds, Leicester, tails up, poured forward and almost doubled their advantage just two minutes later. Kristiansen this time the supplier as Vardy stole in behind before charging towards goal, only to be denied by a fine Łukasz Fabiański save.
At that stage, it felt like a second goal could open the proverbial floodgates with the Hammers’ confidence brittle at best.
Leicester had enjoyed the early exchanges, with their new manager bounce showing as Julen Lopetegui’s men gradually began to find their feet.
The next big chance would fall our way though. After Mohammed Kudus headed wide from a Vladimír Coufal delivery and Mads Hermansen tipped a vicious, swirling Jarrod Bowen effort around the post, we should really have levelled.
Danny Ings, making his first Premier League start of the season, drifted into the penalty box unnoticed to meet Bowen's cross with a smart downward header that was deflected onto the post, with Maximilian Kilman missing the rebound.
Hermansen then came to Leicester's rescue again minutes later to get in the way of another Bowen effort, before The away end were cheering, misguidedly, when Tomáš Souček’s header from Kudus' devilish cross flew the wrong side of the post, much to the Foxes' relief. The lively Kudus was then given a clear run at goal, before passing to Bowen. His shot, which looked destined to find the target, landed a yard wide of the far post.
The Hammers continued to press and probe as half-time approached but couldn't find a way past Leicester's inspired goalkeeper Hermansen. Bowen's fizzing effort – set up by a brilliant cut back from Edson Álvarez– was kept out with a smart stop down to his left as the Foxes ‘keeper produced a brilliant reflex save from point blank range.
The one-sided nature of the first 45 minutes continued into the second. Vardy had a sight of goal in the 50th minute in a rare foray forward for Leicester. He appeared to defy gravity as he hung in the air to meet a teasing Facundo Buonanotte cross with his head, but his header dropped harmlessly wide.
West Ham were soon back on the offensive and the usual suspects were carrying the threat, with the Hammers denied what looked to be a clear penalty when the ball appeared to have struck the arm of Wilfried Ndidi, an incident which was checked and somehow cleared by the Video Assistant Referee.
Minutes later, Souček had the ball in the back of the net as a high ball squirmed past Hermansen, but the goal was ruled out when the Czech was adjudged to have backed into the ‘keeper.
The fear was that the Irons could come to rue those missed opportunities and, out of nowhere, the Foxes doubled their lead on 61 minutes at the end of a slick, free-flowing move with Kasey McAteer laying the ball back to El Khannouss who, on the slide, fired into the bottom corner beyond Fabiański from 12 yards out.
And only a fine Fabiański stop, the goalkeeper this time denying Ndidi, prevented the Hammers from falling further behind shortly afterwards.
Back stormed West Ham, as relief swelled around the King Power once again. The Irons' movement and passing were causing Leicester constant headaches and the frustration from the away end was palpable when substitute Crysencio Summerville’s effort from Bowen’s tempting pass across the face of goal was remarkably cleared off the line by Conor Coady.
But for all the good work, it was Leicester who next had the ball in the net. Daka's shot drew a smart stop from Fabiański, but only as far as Bobby De Cordova-Reid, who tapped home into an empty net. However, the celebrations were curtailed by an offside flag against Buonanotte, a tight decision backed up after another lengthy VAR check.
However, things went from bad to worse when Daka added Leicester's third nine minutes later, with a goal that was far too simple in its execution, from a West Ham perspective. The Zambian won possession in his own half and ran the length of the pitch before blasting the ball into the roof of the net.
The only addition to the scoreline in stoppage-time came from the visitors when Niclas Füllkrug found the net for the first time in Claret and Blue as he scrambled a consolation over the line, it unfortunately proved a mere consolation.
Leicester City: Hermansen, Justin, Coady, Vestergaard (Faes 60), Kristiansen, Ndidi, Soumaré, McAteer (Mavididi 74), El Khannouss (De Cordova-Reid 74), Buonanotte (Ayew 90+1), Vardy © (Daka 60)
Subs not used: Ward (GK), Okoli, Skipp, Thomas
Goals: Vardy 2, El Khannouss 61, Daka 90
Booked: Soumaré, Vardy
West Ham United: Fabiański, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Coufal (Emerson 62), Soler (Paquetá 62), Souček (Antonio 62), Álvarez, Kudus (Füllkrug 79), Bowen ©, Ings (Summerville 46)
Subs not used: Foderingham (GK), Casey, Rodríguez, Luis Guilherme
Goal: Füllkrug 90+3
Booked: Coufal, Álvarez
Referee: Josh Smith
Attendance: 30,947
