LONDON — West Ham United secured a 2-0 victory over Leicester City on Thursday, adding to the struggles of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team, which is battling to escape relegation in the Premier League.
Leicester has now lost four consecutive league matches without scoring a goal and has conceded a total of 12 times during this period. The Foxes remain entrenched in 19th place in the league standings, five points away from the safety zone, following defeat at the hands of West Ham. Alarmingly, they have suffered defeat in 11 of their last 12 league outings.
The scoring commenced with Tomas Soucek on the mark at the 21st minute for the Hammers playing at their home ground, the London Stadium. They doubled their lead just before halftime when a strike from Jarrod Bowen was inadvertently turned into an own goal by Leicester’s Jannik Vestergaard.
After a heavy 4-0 defeat on home soil to Brentford last Friday, Leicester opted to make adjustments to their coaching roster. Nevertheless, Van Nistelrooy retained his managerial position.
Under his leadership, Leicester has managed to secure just two victories alongside a draw and 11 losses in 14 Premier League games. “We were way too passive,” Van Nistelrooy reflected to TNT Sports. “Of course, we’re amidst a tough run, currently positioned in the bottom three with increasing pressure. But to overcome this, we need to advance positively, both off and on the field. Taking initiative is essential.”
On the other hand, West Ham displayed encouraging progress, leaping past Everton to secure 15th place, achieving consecutive Premier League wins for the very first time during this season’s campaign.
In contrast, Graham Potter, who took the helm as manager seven weeks ago after the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui, praised his team’s efforts stating, “Thursday’s victory was a ‘professional performance,’ a continuation of form from our 1-0 triumph over Arsenal last Saturday.”
Potter further commented, “Securing two wins, maintaining clean sheets, and collecting six points clearly illustrates our mini-run success, which is delightful for us.”
