Tomas Soucek celebrated his 30th birthday by scoring the winning goal as West Ham side cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Leicester in east London on Thursday.
WATCH – West Ham vs Leicester full match replay
The Hammers (33 points) scored twice in the first half to make it back-to-back wins and leapfrog Everton for 15th place in the Premier League table. The victory puts West Ham 16 points above the relegation zone with 11 games left to play, and gives Graham Potter plenty of leeway to begin molding the team around his ideas with an eye toward the 2025-26 season.
Jarrod Bowen was briefly credited with goal no. 2, but eventually it was charged as own goal by Leicester defender Jannik Vestergaard. The Foxes actually out-shot West Ham, but their 10 attempts resulted in just two on target and a paltry xG tally of just 0.38. Since beating the Hammers on his debut as Leicester boss, Ruud van Nistelrooy has over seen just one win in 13 PL games (1W-1D-11L). It was also the 9th time his side failed to score a goal in 14 league games under his leadership.
Graham Potter’s real work begins this summer
Speaking next season, it doesn’t take a rocket science to see that a significant squad overhaul is needed if Potter is to get West Ham playing his style of football. As easy as the win was on Thursday, it was (and has been all season) painfully obvious that the current team lacks anything resembling a creative idea. They’re a real threat on set pieces, and they have handful of both good crossers and headers of the ball, but that’s about it. That’s not a great place to still be after spending more than $160 million in the summer transfer, but that’s the reality of the situation. He may have left the club in the summer, but West Ham still play like a David Moyes team.
Player ratings - West Ham vs Leicester
What’s next?
- Chelsea vs Leicester — Sunday, March 9 (10 am ET)
- West Ham vs Newcastle — Monday, March 10 (4 pm ET)
How to watch West Ham vs Leicester live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Thursday
Venue: The London Stadium — East London
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live online via NBC.com
West Ham vs Leicester live updates - by Andy Edwards
West Ham vs Leicester live score: 2-0
Goalscorers: Tomas Soucek (21'), Jannik Vestergaard (43' - OG)
GOAL! West Ham 2-0 Leicester: Bowen gets two cracks, forces own goal (43')
GOAL! West Ham 1-0 Leicester: Birthday boy Soucek cleans up the rebound after Kudus denied (21')
West Ham starting lineup
Areola - Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell, Scarles - Alvarez, Soucek, Ward-Prowse - Bowen, Kudus
Leicester starting lineup
Hermansen - Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen - Ndidi, Soumare, El Khannouss - Buonanotte, De Cordova-Reid, Vardy
The Irons are coming off a surprise defeat of Arsenal and now face a visitor from the other end of the table when the 19th-place Foxes come to town.
Leicester’s vibes are likely the very opposite after their latest loss —- a 4-0 humbling by Brentford — cost first team coaches Ben Dawson and Danny Alcock their spots on the bench. Now manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has to hope the sackings of those two Steve Cooper holdovers is part of the tonic for a Foxes side ow five points back of 17th-place Wolves in what’s clearly a three-team fight for one place in the 2025-26 Premier League.
West Ham team news, focus
OUT: Lucas Paqueta (ankle), Niclas Fullkrug (hamstring), Michail Antonio (DETAILS), Crysencio Summerville (hamstring) | QUESTIONABLE: Vladimir Coufal (hamstring)
Leicester City team news, focus
OUT: Ricardo Pereira (thigh), Abdul Fatawu (knee - out for season) | QUESTIONABLE: James Justin (ankle), Caleb Okoli (knock)
West Ham vs Leicester prediction
The Irons are pretty heavy favorites relative to their place on the table. Jarrod Bowen has scored in two of three Premier League matches since returning from a four-match absence, and Leicester hasn’t looked much like stopping anyone let alone an in-form star. West Ham 2-1 Leicester City.
