27 February 2025
West Ham 2 Leicester 0
Graham Potter’s side find themselves in that bizarre chasm at the foot of the table with three other teams at the moment. All too far ahead of the bottom three for it be a concern right now but wanting to propel themselves up the table. West Ham welcomed Leicester City to the capital, who are in a very different position, with relegation seeming more likely by the week.
The Hammers were looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since March, when David Moyes was still the manager. The new era under Potter had yet to take flight and he would love nothing more in their remaining fixtures than to put something of an unbeaten run together. It would at least give the owners the impression they made the right appointment.
In the early stages, it was the visitors who were trying to get forward more. They have been accused of not getting enough crosses into the box this season and seemed to be trying to address that. As West Ham dealt with the aerial threat, it dropped to Ndidi on the edge of the box. He managed to get a shot away but there was no power in it and failed to trouble Areola in The Hammers’ goal.
As the hosts pressed forward, Leicester’s inability to clear their lines was to cost them dearly. They had plenty of opportunities to lump it downfield but kept on gifting it back to West Ham. Eventually, Cresswell got a shot off at goal, which Kudus tried to divert. Hermansen made the save but Soucek was on hand to tap the rebound home.
The defending from The Foxes is just not viable at this level. It always seems like they are going to concede goals and they just do not have the firepower up top to outscore what their defence concedes. You need to learn from your mistakes and this is something Leicester need to take on board before any return to the top-flight.
Ward-Prowse was back in the team after returning from an unsuccessful loan spell. He played it into Bowen on the edge of the box, who immediately looked to whip a shot in at the near post. Hermansen was rooted to the spot and relieved to see the effort narrowly go the wrong side of the post. It further underpinned the danger that West Ham forward posed.
The Hammers forced a corner and as the cross came into the box, once again The Foxes defended like a six-a-side kickabout with your workmates. Bowen looked to play it across the box from the byline, deflecting off Vestergaard and ending in the back of the net. Two goals down, I’m not even sure van Nistelrooy felt his side were still in this game.
As the sides headed into the break, the home fans were wondering how many more they would score, with no fear of a Foxes’ comeback. Not only had they offered so little in an attacking sense, but their defence looked weaker than OJ Simpson’s when he infamously said, “if the gloves don’t fit, you must acquit!” This now seemed a banker of a home win.
Van Nistelrooy’s side tried to make more of an impression in the final third after the break. Vestergaard managed to a header off at goal from a corner but Areola caught the effort under the crossbar. As they pressed forward again, an attempted killer-pass was easily intercepted and played out to Bowen just outside the box.
Danny Dyer’s favourite son (in-law) did brilliantly to turn defence into attack. He dribbled out of his own half all on his own, forcing defenders to backtrack rather than put in a challenge. As he continued forward, he was joined by teammates, laying it off to Ferguson just as a challenge was coming in. It was the football equivalent of the rugby hand-off.
Ferguson just took too many touches to set himself, inviting the sliding block from the visitors. He looks a bit rusty from the player of old, evidently needing some game time. When he was playing, and scoring, regularly for Brighton he was linked with some of Europe’s elite sides with some huge transfer fees being talked about.
That is what The Seagulls will be hoping he gets from this loan spell. They were canny enough to make sure there was no option to buy in the deal. With talk of interest in Joao Pedro from Liverpool, Brighton will be hoping that Ferguson comes back more like the player he was before his long injury lay-off. West Ham just have to enjoy his holiday in the capital with them.
The Hammers took all three points in a very comfortable victory. Leicester are struggling to be competitive at such an important moment in their season. From what we have seen this campaign from them, the chances of them securing Premier League survival looks non-existent. Unless they were given special dispensation to play Tottenham every week between now and the final game.
Graham Potter has something to work with at West Ham now. They have won two on the spin and need to start making themselves hard to beat once again. Their victory at The Emirates was impressive and showed that on their day they are more than a match for any team in this league. The future is starting to look a lot brighter in East London.
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