West Ham United secured a crucial victory over Leicester City, extending their distance from the relegation zone by a significant 16 points. This win, marking their second triumph in just five days, further entrenched Leicester in relegation peril. The Foxes now find themselves five points adrift of 17th-placed Wolves with only 11 games left to play.
West Ham's manager, Graham Potter, guided his team to consecutive Premier League victories for the first time since early 2024, demonstrating a remarkable turnaround. Their recent success included a compelling win against Arsenal and a clean sheet at the London Stadium—something they last achieved in December 2023 against Manchester United.
"Feels good. It's not easy. The turnaround from the Arsenal game was not that long. Two efforts in five days is big for us. Two clean sheets, six points, delighted." – Graham Potter
Leicester's struggles under Ruud van Nistelrooy continued as they succumbed to their 11th defeat in 12 league matches. Van Nistelrooy, who has managed just seven points in his 14 games at the helm, witnessed another lackluster performance from his side.
"The difference between the first and second half [was big]." – Ruud van Nistelrooy
The match began with a defensive mishap for Leicester when Jamie Vardy failed to deal with a corner at the near post, allowing Jarrod Bowen to capitalize and score for West Ham. The pressure mounted on Leicester as Jannick Vestergaard scored an own goal, compounding their misery.
West Ham's Evan Ferguson nearly sealed a more comfortable victory but squandered a golden opportunity to net his first goal for the Hammers. Despite this missed chance, West Ham's performance showed promise for the future.
"Delighted for the players," he added. "They have been working really hard. Now they have two wins back-to-back which isn't easy in the Premier League." – Ruud van Nistelrooy
Leicester's previous manager, Steve Cooper, had managed slightly better results with 10 points in 12 games. However, the current form under Van Nistelrooy has placed them in a precarious position with a daunting schedule ahead. Upcoming fixtures include challenging matches against Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle, Brighton, and Liverpool.
"We don't have too many results. Also in bottom three. We were too passive and too secure in our defensive organisation. We didn't press the opponent at all. The backline was too deep, the midfield too." – Ruud van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy attempted to inject some intensity into his squad during the break, emphasizing forward pressing and a higher backline. Unfortunately, these tactical adjustments proved insufficient against a resurgent West Ham side.
"Nothing at all [changed tactically at half-time]. The intensity of the players. Forwards pressing. The higher back line and midfielders following on the pressure of the forwards." – Ruud van Nistelrooy
West Ham's Tomas Soucek expressed satisfaction with his team's consistency and the importance of performing well at home to uplift spirits among their supporters.
"It was really important because we knew we played very well at Arsenal away but we need to have this consistency, we wanted to win for our fans at home because the spirits can go up and we just need to build on this result. I am so happy." – Tomas Soucek
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