Ruud van Nistelrooy got off to the perfect start as Leicester City boss with a much-needed 3-1 win against West Ham United at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes extended the gap on the bottom three to four points thanks to the victory and snapped their run of six games without a win.
But the defeat heaps further pressure on beleaguered West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui, who was serenaded with chants of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning!’ by his own club’s fans during the defeat.
“I think this is the beginning of the end for Lopetegui,” concluded Tim Sherwood on Sky Sports’ Soccer Special. “You cannot capitulate like this.”
Jamie Vardy got the new Van Nistelrooy regime off to a flyer with the opener in just the second minute. The veteran striker’s goal was initially ruled out for offside but was allowed to stand following a lengthy four-minute VAR review.
West Ham responded well to going behind and went close through Danny Ings, who was one of five changes on the evening from Lopetegui, as his header struck the woodwork following a deflection.
Pressure continued to mount on the hosts but Mads Hermansen’s five first-half saves ensured the Foxes’ lead remained intact heading into the break.
Despite the dominance from the visitors, Leicester doubled their lead through Bilal El Khannouss just moments after West Ham saw an ‘equaliser’ disallowed for a foul off the ball.
Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring the first goal of the game
Tomas Soucek was the culprit after the midfielder was adjudged to have impeded Hermansen in the area prior to the ball bouncing past the Foxes ‘keeper.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid saw his effort disallowed but the Foxes would find their third through Patson Daka in stoppage time to round off an impressive first outing for the new boss.
Meanwhile, Lopetegui’s side have now suffered eight defeats this season but the Spaniard will be hoping Niclas Fullkrug climbing off the bench to score his first goal for the club in the 93rd minute can act as a confidence boost heading into their next fixture against his former side Wolves, live on Sky Sports, next Monday.
Sherwood: Beginning of the end for Lopetegui
Sky Sports’ Tim Sherwood speaking on Soccer Special:
“West Ham had better players on the bench than they did on the pitch. And l cannot believe how they set up defensively on the halfway line. It just made no sense.
“It was poor from West Ham but give Leicester credit. Personally, I think this is the beginning of the end for Lopetegui. You cannot capitulate like this.
“They are playing as if they have just been thrown on the pitch and wherever they land is where they play.
“There is absolutely no structure to their play. The manager has got it all wrong. There are more questions than answers for Lopetegui. He has had a bad night.”
Lopetegui: We deserved much more
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui speaking to Amazon Prime:
“It’s a frustrating night as we deserved much more. Playing football is not easy.
“We had 31 shots in the oppositions box, normally you have to win this match. We had many chances but did not score.
“Tomorrow we will start looking for the next challenge, knowing we are able to change the situation.
“They want to win for them, for me and the club. Football is about the win. Today is a day where we deserved much more. The next will be the most important, we must be focused.”
Van Nistelrooy: We can look further
Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy speaking to Amazon Prime:
“I think first and foremost we need to get some performance with energy, togetherness and spirit to get a connection with the crowd and I think they did that.
“The foundation for us going forward is everybody working their socks off, fighting for every inch, everybody tackling and fighting for each other from there on we can look further. They did that in an unbelievable way.”
Conflicting emotions at the King Power
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:
Two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum regarding optimism.
For Leicester, it was the perfect introduction to Van Nistelrooy, as his side took their chances in a manner the boss would have been proud of in his playing days and backed this showing up with a defensive performance to go alongside it.
However, the situation for West Ham is growing bleaker by the day. The win against Newcastle has merely papered over the cracks for this team, who look absent of ideas and identity when games begin to turn against them.
While one team can look ahead with hope and excitement for their next outing, Lopetegui and his players will likely be dreading the banana-skin game against his former side Wolves, live on Sky Sports, next Monday.
The issues defensively against Arsenal and now struggling at the opposite end against Leicester. Add in their ever-changing midfield and the widespread problems within this team become clear to see.
