West Ham United on Thursday eased past English Premier League strugglers Leicester City 2-0 at the London Stadium thanks to an early strike from Tomas Soucek on his 30th birthday and an own-goal just before halftime.
The visitors’ defensive frailties were exploited by the hosts as both goals resulted from failed clearances, Soucek prodding in from close range in the 21st minute and a shot from captain Jarrod Bowen deflected in by Jannik Vestergaard.
It was a second victory in a row for West Ham under manager Graham Potter after a surprise 1-0 win at Arsenal, an upturn in form after losing three and drawing one of their previous four games.
Photo: AFP
“They were two very different games,” Potter said. “We had to understand our role in the game tonight, which was to have more of the ball.”
West Ham leapfrogged Everton into 15th place, while Leicester remained firmly in the relegation zone in 19th, five points from safety.
The Foxes have now lost 11 of their past 12 league matches, mustering just two wins in Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 14 league games in charge.
They face a tough finish to the season with Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest still to play.
West Ham played with intensity and intent in the first half, particularly on the right wing, where Aaron Wan-Bissaka frequently tested Leicester fullback Victor Kristiansen.
A Bowen-driven attack from the right forced a poor Leicester clearance, which was picked up by Aaron Cresswell and whipped in to Mohammed Kudus, whose saved shot was pounced on by Soucek to score.
Leicester captain Jamie Vardy then failed to clear a corner at the near post in the 43rd minute, allowing Bowen to pick up the ball and find space to shoot through a gaggle of defenders from a tight angle. It went down as a Vestergaard own-goal despite Bowen’s celebrations.
Leicester had a bit more bite in the second half and West Ham spent much of it defending, but the visitors never seriously looked like scoring.
The Foxes have now conceded 12 times in their past four league games without a goal in reply, adding to the growing pressure on Van Nistelrooy.
“Thank god in the second half they shrugged that off, and started to take the initiative to try and win, but the damage was already done,” Van Nistelrooy said.
Asked whether he would still be in charge for the next match against Chelsea on March 9, the Dutchman said: “I keep working, I keep going.”
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