Van Nistelrooy survives West Ham’s first-half blizzard of attack to earn The Foxes a victory
By Ed Emeanua
It wasn’t a pretty win for Leicester City’s new boss in the dugout but Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and his mates managed to dig deep to etch out a 3-1 win against hard fighting West Ham United at the King Power Stadium Tuesday. And it was just as well.
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij, or Ruud van Nistelrooy for short to many in the football universe, had a raucous start in his first match for one of Premier League’s runty side and somehow managed a victory song when all was said and done.
The hallmark of van Nistelrooy’s victory is his decision to deploy Nigeria’s Ndidi and France’s Boubakary Soumaré in defensive midfield role. The pair managed to stabilize an otherwise highly notorious Leicester City shaky defense line.
Before long, the Foxes defensive line of James Justin, Victor Bernth Kristansen, Conor Coady, and Jannik Vestergaard, who was red carded in the 60th minute, began to play with stellar conviction.
In a first half that his side managed just three paltry shots on goal to his opponent’s 20, the Dutchman somehow still managed to go into half-time the better with a goal up, after his side held on amidst West Ham’s blizzard attacks, to mercurial striker Jamie Vardy’s goal with just 1.38 seconds into play.
Vardy’s strike is his fifth of the season, his first goal since October 25, 2024 against Nottingham Forest, and the fastest goal for the Foxes this term. The 37-year-old’s opening goal against the Hammers was the sixth time he has got a new Leicester manager off the blocks.
The England forward equally accounted for managers Claudio Ranieri, Craig Shakespeare, Claude Puel, Brendan Rodgers, Steve Cooper’s Leicester stint with their first goals.
With sides with differing fortunes in the ongoing season going up against each other on the first Tuesday of December’s scheduled Premier League milieu at the King Power, the outcome of the rhubarb was always going to be an unpredictable ending.
The home side have managed just a clean sheet in their last 19 Premier League games at the King Power, winning 1-0 against Bournemouth in October. The Foxes have also given up the opening goal in 17 of those 19 frays at their home ground.
The visiting Irons triumphed over Newcastle United at St James’ Park to garner a second away victory in 2024/25, and West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui was hoping for same tattletale on Tuesday night in certainly his side’s most vital run of schedules as the League starts to shape out before the season’s midway stage.
In contrast, Leicester City have won just two of their 2024/25 13 Premier League games to place 16th in the table, just a point from the relegation zone.
Lopetegui‘s West Ham clearly dominated verse period of this game but failed to bury a run of opportunities and forcing vexed Hammers legions to breakout singing before full-time: “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” at their Spanish boss.
A lucky Van Nistelrooy was thrown into celebration following a second half clincher from Bilal El Khannouss thanks largely to West Ham sub Bobby De Codova-Reid’s phantom ‘third goal’ having been scratched off by a tight VAR offside rule.
Kasey McAteer located El Khannouss in the box allowing the Moroccan a right footer beyond the reach of Hammer’s goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański.
Lopetegui’s luckless outing was completed when Crysencio Summerville touched a Jarrod Bowen cutback beyond the reach of Leicester goalie Mads Harmansen, only to be denied by defender Coady who cleared the ball off the line.
As West Ham cursed their luck, Zambian Patson Daka went clear of the Hammers’ snail-paced defence to boot in the third goal for Leicester.
Niclas Fullkrug’s stoppage time headed goal proved to be West Ham’s only solace at the Foxes den on Tuesday.
start
