Peter Lansley was at the King Power Stadium tonight. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM … and welcome to the world, young Patson Jamie Bilal Flood!
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Julen Lopetegui, disappointed but defiant, speaks to Amazon. “It is a frustrating night … we deserved much more … we had 31 shots in the opposite box … 20 very close to the goal … normally you have to win this match … but we did not score … we suffered … in the first half we did very, very well … many chances … but football is about goals … in the second half we lost our calm a little bit … a frustrating, hard day … maybe we have to remember this day as a way to build a new situation … to play as we did today, normally we win the match … tomorrow we are looking for the next challenge, knowing we can change the situation … I think we are able to do it … the players want to win for them, for me, for the club … sometimes football is not easy to explain … the next match is the most important … we have to be focused against Wolves in our stadium to win.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy talks to Amazon Prime. “We need to get performance with energy and spirit … get connection with the crowd … I think the players did that … the foundation for us going forward is everybody working their socks off … fighting … tackling … defending … and from there we can look further … the players are buying into new ideas … the 4-4-2 formation … be compact … create more from counter-attacks … we need to get our possession on a more consistent basis … it’s brutal, what the Premier League is about … we are delighted with the win but also know how many shots West Ham had … we know how tough it is … we had to give every single bit for the three points … on a long-term basis, performances need to get better … but we saw the first glimpses of spirit.”
Conor Coady speaks to Amazon. “The lads put in a great shift … we can play better … it was all about the result … we’ve had a lot of meetings, trying to get ideas across … the lads have defended well … Jamie Vardy, what a person, what a team-mate … a fantastic goal … he deserves everything he gets … there’s an awful lot of talent … we make sure our season starts now … we can get better … it’s important we recover right and get ready for the weekend … when you’re in dark places, you can find our way out … you’ve got to dig deep … we’ve got a long way to go … it’s a fantastic start, but it’s just a start … they had 30 shots, we need to stop that.”
Jamie Vardy talks to Amazon. “As a striker you always want to score … I’m over the moon … we’ve literally had one full day as a squad together … you could see some of it was working … more time now on the training field with the new manager for him to get his ideas across.”
Bilal El Khannous, sporting a pair of JV9 socks, adds: “We are very happy with the new manager … a new dynamic in the group … when you are young you are dreaming of playing in the Premier League … I have fulfilled my dream of scoring in the Premier League!”
That was a thoroughly entertaining game. Leicester City played really well, putting in a battling performance and scoring some fine goals. But West Ham were good too, creating several big chances on a night that simply wasn’t theirs. The story may well have ended differently had referee Josh Smith not generously awarded a foul when Mads Hermansen flapped into his own net, but the decision went the way of the home side, and moments later, the game was as good as wrapped up. A huge boost for Leicester, and their new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy; a bitter blow for West Ham, whose under-fire manager Julen Lopetegui can’t catch a break. Throw in Crystal Palace’s earlier win at Ipswich, and it’s getting very interesting at the bottom.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 13 | 18 | 34 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 13 | 12 | 25 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 13 | 12 | 25 |
| 4 | Brighton | 13 | 5 | 23 |
| 5 | Man City | 13 | 3 | 23 |
| 6 | Nottm Forest | 13 | 3 | 22 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 13 | 14 | 20 |
| 8 | Brentford | 13 | 3 | 20 |
| 9 | Man Utd | 13 | 4 | 19 |
| 10 | Fulham | 13 | 0 | 19 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 13 | 0 | 19 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 13 | -3 | 19 |
| 13 | AFC Bournemouth | 13 | 1 | 18 |
| 14 | West Ham | 14 | -9 | 15 |
| 15 | Leicester | 14 | -9 | 13 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 14 | -6 | 12 |
| 17 | Everton | 13 | -11 | 11 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton | 13 | -10 | 9 |
| 19 | Ipswich | 14 | -12 | 9 |
| 20 | Southampton | 13 | -15 | 5 |
FULL TIME: Leicester City 3-1 West Ham United
The Ruud van Nistelrooy era begins with a precious win!
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90 min +10: “Patson it is!” chirps new dad Peter Flood. Glad to have been of service.
90 min +9: A free kick for West Ham out on the left. Emerson curls it in. Fullkrug meets it six yards out, but heads wide left. He should have scored, but turns out he was offside anyway.
90 min +8: Faes faffs around and ships possession to Antonio, who hares off down the right. Antonio enters the box and should shoot, but starts overthinking things, does nothing, and eventually Ndidi puts a stop to the attack.
90 min +6: On Amazon, co-commentator Andy Townsend names Wilfred Ndidi as his player of the match.
90 min +5: Bowen hits a shot-cum-cross into the Leicester mixer from the right. There’s some pinball. Alvarez can’t sort his feet out, six yards from goal. Had he managed to do so, the last couple of minutes would have been very interesting. Faes clears.
90 min +4: That was West Ham’s 30th shot of the evening. Leicester have taken eight.
GOAL! Leicester 3-1 West Ham (Fullkrug 90+3)
Bowen sends a corner in from the right. Summerville flicks on at the near post. Fullkrug, six yards out, turns it in. He couldn’t miss. West Ham couldn’t, could they? Six minutes still to play.
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90 min +3: Ayew comes on for Buonanotte.
90 min +2: There will be nine additional minutes. The first couple fly by with the home fans in party mode.
GOAL! Leicester 3-0 West Ham (Daka 90)
Kristiansen launches a long speculative pass down the left. Daka takes it down and around Kilman with one delicious touch. Daka steams into the box, thinks about crossing, but there’s nobody there, so instead he roofs an unstoppable shot into the top-left corner with his weaker left foot!
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89 min: Wan-Bissaka attempts to release Bowen down the right but overhits the pass. Goal kick. West Ham are toiling now. All that effort for nothing.
87 min: How’s your luck been, Julen Lopetegui? West Ham have played 166 passes in the final third to Leicester’s 39. “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” trill the home fans. It’s the folk music du jour.
85 min: So then, with Bobby ruled out, it’s still a toss-up between Jamie and Bilal for little baby Flood. “For Leicester, two goals surely counts as a Flood,” quips Richard Hirst. “How appropriate.”
NO GOAL. Leicester 2-0 West Ham
83 min: So much for the naked eye. Buonanotte was inches ahead of the last man.
82 min: A VAR check for a possible offside. Had Buonanotte gone too early? The naked eye says no, the goal stands, but let’s wait for the rulers.
GOAL! Leicester 3-0 West Ham (De Cordova-Reid 81)
Buonanotte works his way down the left and rolls infield for Daka, who creams a rising shot towards the top right. Fabianski, at full stretch, parries, but the ball drops to De Cordova-Reid, who slams into the bottom right.
79 min: Fullkrug comes on for Kudus.
77 min: De Cordova-Reid chips a pass down the inside-right channel. Daka, hopeful of rounding Fabianski on the right, takes a heavy touch that allows the keeper to smother. “My wife gave birth to my son this afternoon at Leicester Royal Infirmary,” announces Peter Flood. Congratulations to you all! “I can hear the King Power from the ward. It’s quite surreal. When Vardy scored I thought there was something wrong with the air conditioning. Does this mean I need to call him Jamie?” In the interests of clarity, Peter sent this email before Leicester scored their second. Bilal may also be now on the table.
76 min: Alvarez lunges at an in-flight Daka and goes into the book for his cynicism.
74 min: Leicester make another double change, replacing McAteer and El Khannouss with Mavididi and De Cordova-Reid.
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72 min: McAteer is again sent scampering down the inside-left channel. He’s got Daka in the middle, but opts to shoot himself. In aiming for the top left, he slices horribly wide.
70 min: Kudus wins a corner down the right. Bowen swings it into the mixer. Too long. Ndidi should let it sail out for a goal kick, but carelessly heads behind. Fortunately West Ham do nothing with their free gift, Mavropanos flicking on, Antonio clanking a header high and wide.
68 min: Bowen enters the box down the right and reaches the edge of the six-yard box. He could shoot, but instead crosses for Summerville, who slides in and forces the ball past Hermansen … but not Coady, who manages to flick the ball off the line just before it fully crosses. West Ham have done everything but score.
67 min: El Khannouss turns provider, crossing viciously from the right. Ndidi meets it, six yards out, but his half-headed, half-shouldered effort is straight at Fabianski, who tips over. Nothing comes of the corner. Inches either side of the keeper, and that was 3-0.
65 min: Emerson tries to barge his way past Justin down the left. He enters the box and falls over, claiming a penalty, but there’s not enough in it.
63 min: That’s a huge goal, not only coming against the run of play, but also seconds after Hermansen got away with some outrageously poor goalkeeping. West Ham respond with a triple change, sending on Paqueta, Emerson and Antonio for Soler, Soucek and Coufal.
GOAL! Leicester 2-0 West Ham (El Khannouss 61)
It’s been all West Ham, but Leicester double their lead! McAteer makes good down the left after a long ball and cuts back for El Khannouss, who slots into the bottom left from the edge of the box. Fabianski, initially leaning the other way, was never getting there!
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60 min: The first substitution of the Ruud van Nistelrooy era, and it’s a double. Faes and Daka come on for Vestergaard and Vardy.
59 min: Nope, it’s no goal. There was minimal contact between Hermansen and Soucek, but keepers always get the benefit. Lucky, lucky Hermansen.
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58 min: Coufal sends a long throw into the Leicester mixer from the right. Soucek goes up at the far post. Hermansen attempts the clearing punch, but flaps, and the ball squirts backwards off him and into the net! But the referee generously blows his whistle. VAR will double-check, though.
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57 min: West Ham keep the pressure on. Space and time for Soler, just to the right of the D. Soler sizes things up and has a whack. The ball pings off Kristiansen and over the bar. Hermansen claims the resulting corner.
55 min: One corner leads to another. The second leads to nothing.
54 min: Kudus cuts infield from the right and shoots. The ball takes a vicious deflection off Vestergaard and loops towards the top-left corner. Hermansen is forced to tip over while backpedaling furiously. That’s a great save.
52 min: Bowen takes down a long ball on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. He feeds Kudus on the overlap; Kudus cuts back for Soucek, who skies a first-time shot. This second half barrelling along at the same entertaining rate as the first.
51 min: Kudus crosses low from the right. Ndidi kicks the ball up onto his own arm, but there’s no penalty. Leicester counter through Vardy down the left. Now it’s his turn to play a poor ball infield, McAteer waiting in vain for the delivery.
50 min: Crystal Palace have won 1-0 at Ipswich Town. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s goal on the hour the difference. Meanwhile back at the King Power, Coufal’s poor clearing header falls to Vardy, six yards out. Vardy’s instant header sails wide right.
49 min: Alvarez, quarterbacking in the pocket, wedges a delightful ball down the middle and into the box for Kudus, who meets the dropping ball by steering a header weakly wide left. No real loss, given the flag pops up correctly for offside.
47 min: Soler plays a loose ball across the face of his own box. McAteer nips away with it, down the left, but can’t find Vardy in the centre. McAteer’s final ball has been poor so far. Had he been on his game tonight, Vardy may already be celebrating a hat-trick.
Leicester get the second half underway. West Ham had 20 shots in the first half, Leicester just three. But Jamie Vardy’s made the difference at the sharp end. With this in mind – and Danny Ings having been carrying an injury – West Ham send on Crysencio Summerville.
Half-time entertainment.
HALF TIME: Leicester City 1-0 West Ham United
West Ham have been the better team. They’ve created the bulk of the chances. But look here.
45 min +4: Buonanotte has the chance to send McAteer free down the inside-right channel, but his attempt to thread a ball between Mavropanos and Kilman goes wrong. West Ham go up the other end, and Hermansen flaps at a high ball, but Alvarez isn’t able to take advantage, the box too crowded to get a shot away. And that’s that for the opening period.
45 min +2: Coufal takes a heavy touch and lunges after the ball. He clips Vardy, and goes into the book. The challenge was a little high, but not egregiously so.
45 min: There will be four additional first-half minutes.
44 min: A brief stoppage because Soucek and Justin clashed heads back there. Vaseline is applied, and both players are back up and running.
43 min: Mavropanos strides down the right and floats a diagonal cross towards Soucek, who flaps a header over from ten yards.
41 min: Vardy, ambling down the left, shows the ball to Mavropanos before turning on the jets, leaving the defender behind and reaching the byline. He stands up a cross that nobody in blue reacts to. Had either McAteer or Buonanotte kept up with play, they’d have had a tap-in.
39 min: A goal in tonight’s other match. Jean-Philippe Mateta has given Crystal Palace the lead on the hour at Ipswich.
37 min: Vardy attempts to nick the ball away from Mavropanos, as the West Ham defender ushers it out for a throw. Vardy takes the man instead, and goes into the book. No malice, just bad timing.
36 min: … Soler lashes wide left from the edge of the box. Had that been on target, Hermansen, rooted to the spot, wasn’t getting there. West Ham must be wondering how they’ve still not scored.
35 min: Alvarez fizzes a low cross in from the right. Bowen opens his body and hits a first-time sidefoot towards the bottom-right corner. Hermansen does exceptionally well to get down and divert the ball out for a corner, from which …
34 min: Bowen bursts down the right, but can’t find Coufal with a flick infield. Leicester only half clear, allowing Kudus to shoot from the edge of the D. His effort is blocked.
32 min: Leicester play it around the back slowly before suddenly springing forward. Buonanotte pings a pass down the inside-right channel for McAteer, who reaches the box ahead of Mavropanos. McAteer attempts to poke the ball past the out-rushing Fabianski, but can’t manage it. Vardy, in the middle, may raise that during the half-time debrief.
30 min: El Khannouss and Buonanotte combine crisply and cutely on the break, and then the ball’s swept right for McAteer, who has Vardy in space in the middle. But McAteer hesitates, allowing the West Ham defence to regroup, and he’s forced to turn tail. The crowd groan at the unravelling of an otherwise flowing move.
28 min: Bowen, making good down the right, whistles an inviting low cross through Leicester’s six-yard box. Ings was on the back foot. Any touch and that was in. Ings holds his head in his hands, a great opportunity gone begging. West Ham have done everything but score.
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27 min: Wan-Bissaka sends Kudus scampering into space down the left. Kudus whips a fine cross towards Soucek, on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. Soucek rises and plants a header inches wide of the top-right corner. The away fans momentarily celebrate a goal, much to the delayed amusement of the home support. That wasn’t far away at all. Hermansen wasn’t getting to it.
25 min: West Ham pass it around, this way and that. They’re playing some decent stuff. El Khannouss tries to put a stop to the lengthy period of possession but only manages to clank the ball out for a corner. But from the set piece, Leicester break through Buonanotte down the right. Wan-Bissaka saves the day with a last-ditch slide tackle.
23 min: Space for McAteer down the right. He’s got Vardy unmarked in the middle, ten yards out, but his cross sails miles over his team-mates head. Vardy spins around in frustration.
22 min: Soumare clatters into Soler from behind. Into the book he goes. The crowd aren’t happy, given the non-decision over the aforementioned Buonanotte-Kilman incident, but in and of itself, a yellow is fair enough.
21 min: West Ham come back at Leicester through Bowen, who shoots from a tight angle on the right. Hermansen kicks clear, a decent save.
20 min: Coufal whips a cross in from the right. Vestergaard hacks clear, with Kudus and Ings lurking. Probably just as well the hosts dealt with that, because Buonanotte was unceremoniously bundled off the ball earlier in the move by Kilman, a challenge that looked like a free kick all day long.
18 min: Leicester play it around the back patiently, in the fashionable style. The crowd want Justin to bomb forward, down the right flank, but the defender sticks to the plan. A few groans. Tough crowd.
16 min: Kudus and Alvarez one-two their way down the right. Coufal is fed on the overlap and sends a low cross into Hermansen’s arms. West Ham are losing, but on the balance of play, they’ve been the better team so far.
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14 min: West Ham have responded well to conceding the early goal. They couldn’t have come much closer to equalising in short order.
13 min: Soler is skittled by Ndidi on the left. Leicester prepare for a ball pumped into the box, but the free kick’s taken short, and Alvarez advances on the box. He shoots. Blocked. Bowen latches onto the rebound, and crosses from the right. Ings rises six yards out and sends a downward header crashing off the base of the post. Kilman tries to force the loose ball home but Vestergaard blocks and the hosts bundle clear.
11 min: West Ham are getting plenty of joy down the right. Bowen cuts in from the flank and aims a low curler towards the far stick. Hermansen tips around for West Ham’s first corner of the game. Nothing comes of the set piece. Good game, this.
9 min: Coufal finds a bit of space down the right and crosses for Kudus, who heads over from six yards. Or did Justin get there first to deflect out for a corner? Think so, yes. But the referee doesn’t. West Ham furious.
8 min: Kristiansen, tucked tight on the left touchline, rolls a pass infield and Vardy’s away again! Vardy tries to round the keeper on the left, then dinks, the ball deflected by Fabianski into the side netting. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
7 min: Mavropanos tries to redeem himself by battling down the inside-right channel but his pass towards Coufal is blocked. West Ham come again, though, Bowen seemingly upended to the right of the D. But there’s no whistle, so Soucek latches onto the loose ball and blazes over wildly.
5 min: VAR breaking the space-time continuum there. But 1 minute and 39 seconds it is.
GOAL! Leicester 1-0 West Ham (Vardy 2)
The goal stands! Vardy goes racing off to celebrate, belatedly, and the King Power roars! Not a bad start to the Van Nistelrooy era, huh?
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3 min: … but VAR are checking it, because Mavropanos might have been playing Vardy onside. This is going to be very tight. In fact, the naked eye suggests this goal will stand. But we await the rulers.
2 min: So, that 0-0 draw … Vardy bursts down the inside-left channel. He’s clear. He reaches the box, opens his body, and slots across Fabianski and into the bottom-right corner. But the flag immediately goes up. Offside.
West Ham get the ball rolling. Fabianski launches it long and his team-mates quickly lose it. “As these two clubs conceded nine between them at the weekend, let’s hope that Ruud’s presence inspires more goals, goals, goals,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “There, I’ve gone and jinxed it. Now, what price are they offering for a 0-0 draw?”
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The teams are out! Leicester in blue, West Ham in claret. The managers embrace warmly on an otherwise chilly evening. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes.
Julen Lopetegui talks to Amazon. “We choose this line-up thinking they are ready to face this challenge … Niclas Füllkrug is on the bench because he can play a few minutes … we are happy because he is back, but we have to go step by step … consistency is always important … we know we face a strong team at home with a new coach … a big challenge … we have to be our best version … we have to focus on ourselves … we are aware Leicester are a good team.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy speaks to Amazon Prime. “It’s been a bit hectic! … long days, a lot needs to happen … get to know each other as much as possible … right from the first conversation I have had with the owner, it is very positive … the club, players and facilities … it’s amazing … everything at the highest level … Enzo [Maresca] is a good friend of mine, that helped a lot to move forward [and take the job] … we will press at the right moments … then go forward … good pressure and counter attacks … the goal is staying in the Premier League … we can achieve that.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first Leicester starting XI sees four changes to the side sent out to face heavy defeat at Brentford. Jannik Vestergaard, Victor Kristiansen, Bilal El Khannouss and Kasey McAteer take the places of Wout Faes, Caleb Okoli, Luke Thomas and Jordan Ayew, all of whom drop to the bench. Harry Winks is still recovering from a groin problem.
Julen Lopetegui makes five changes after the 5-2 debacle against Arsenal. Back in: Vladimír Coufal, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Edson Álvarez, Danny Ings and, returning from his five-game ban for that meltdown at Spurs, Mohammed Kudus. Crysencio Summerville, Michail Antonio, Lucas Paquetá and Emerson Palmieri drop to the bench, while Jean-Clair Todibo is out injured.
The teams
Leicester City: Hermansen, Justin, Vestergaard, Coady, Kristiansen, Ndidi, Soumare, El Khannouss, Buonanotte, McAteer, Vardy.
Subs: Ward, Faes, Okoli, Thomas, Skipp, Mavididi, De Cordova-Reid, Ayew, Daka.
West Ham United: Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Coufal, Alvarez, Soucek, Soler, Kudus, Bowen, Ings.
Subs: Foderingham, Summerville, Antonio, Paqueta, Fullkrug, Guilherme, Rodriguez, Emerson, Casey.
Referee: Josh Smith
VAR: Neil Davies
Preamble
Leicester fans are full of hope thanks to their new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy; West Ham supporters are rapidly losing patience with their new guy Julen Lopetegui. Either way, though, these teams go into tonight’s fixture off the back of a skelping, Leicester losing 4-1 at Brentford last weekend, the Hammers shipping five in 45 minutes at home to Arsenal. A bounceback victory would mean so much. Kick-off is at 8.15pm GMT. It’s on!
