More Daka Days For West Ham

In all the matches against the newly-promoted sides last season, West Ham United got some sort of result. They already know that won’t happen this campaign, as they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Leicester City at The King Power Stadium on Tuesday night.

I mentioned in my preview to this game that Julen Lopetegui may make changes from the home defeat by Arsenal just three days earlier and he did just that, as Vladimír Coufal, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Edson Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus and Danny Ings all came into the starting line-up, while Emerson Palmieri, Lucas Paquetá, Michail Antonio and Crysencio Summerville all dropped to the bench. Jean-Clair Todibo was a doubt before the game and didn’t feature here.

Also amongst the substitutes were youngsters Luis Guilherme, Kaelan Casey and Niclas Füllkrug, who hadn’t featured in the matchday squad since the 3-1 home defeat by Manchester City back on 31 August.

The Hammers were looking to bounce back from Saturday’s result but they knew that Leicester wanted to impress their new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Since the Foxes won the Premier League title in 2016, they have been well known for playing fast attacking football on the break and they made it the worst possible start for the Irons, as a great team move set up Jamie Vardy to put them ahead after just two minutes. Lopetegui’s men looked like for they were going to be given a reprieve as the goal was initially ruled out for offside but after a four-minute VAR review, it was decided that there was nothing wrong and it was 1-0.

As if West Ham’s start the match wasn’t bad enough, it may well have got even worse when Vardy nearly doubled the advantage for the hosts but fortunately, visiting goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański was able to prevent him from doing so.

After the opening few minutes, the visitors took complete control, as Kudus headed over, following a cross from Coufal. Then, home goalkeeper Mads Hermansen dealt well with a difficult effort from Captain Jarrod Bowen. On another day that would have seen Lopetegui’s team level!!!

Ings was selected by the Hammers’ Head-Coach to make his first top-flight start since April and he made his way into the box to meet Bowen’s cross. Unfortunately though, the striker’s header was somehow tipped onto the post and Max Kilman was unable to connect with the follow-up.

Some of the travelling support thought that Tomáš Souček had beaten Hermansen but the Czech had actually sent his effort wide after Kudus had sent in a threatening cross.

Kudus was involved again just minutes later when he found Bowen in space but the Skipper missed a golden chance to level matters as the effort went wide of the post.

Those in the away end saw their team continually create chances but they still weren’t able to make the breakthrough. Once again Leicester’s Danish stopper denied Bowen.

Referee Josh Smith brought the first-half to a close and you would have thought that if the East Londoners w downtown ere to create more chances after the break, then they surely would equalise.

Ings appeared to pick up an injury before the break and although he made it through the remainder of the opening period, he was swiftly replaced by Summerville.

The second forty five minutes were not too dissimilar to the first. van Nistelrooy’s side started well but once the Hammers found their rhythm again, there was no stopping them. Vardy had a chance just five minutes into the half when he met Facundo Buonanotte’s cross but fortunately for Lopetegui, it went wide.

The Leicester goal was living a charmed life in this game, as it seemed as if the visitors were having no luck at all. They thought that they should have been awarded a penalty for handball by Wilfred Ndidi but neither Smith, or the officials gave the decision.

The whole away end was cheering when Souček did hit the net but their joy was short lived as it was ruled out for an apparent foul on Hermansen.

Having dominated most play up to this point, the visitors were made to pay just after the hour mark when Bilal El Khannouss gave Fabiański no chance to extend the home side’s advantage and put them on course to go just two points behind their opponents in the Premier League table.

Immediately after his side conceded for a second time, Lopetegui made substitutions. Palmieri, Paquetá and Antonio all entered the fray for Coufal, Carlos Soler and Souček.

Fabiański had to make a save to prevent the Foxes from making it embarrassing for his side.

Up the other end, the visitors were still failing to finish their opportunities and wasted another when Bowen set up Summerville. The winger looked certain to score but had his attempt was cleared off the line by Connor Coady.

The Hammers were relieved to see offside flag raised just minutes later, as Bobby De Cordova-Reid had sent the ball over the line, following Fabiański’s save from Patson Daka and the decision was confirmed by VAR.

On seventy nine minutes, Lopetegui made his final change, as Füllkrug took the place of Kudus.

However, another two minutes had passed and the Zambian striker made up for his earlier miss, as he ran from his half clinch three vital points for his side.

That wasn’t the end of the scoring though, as West Ham’s efforts were finally rewarded when Füllkrug poked the ball past Hermansen.

Hopefully, Lopetegui’s men get the rub of the green as another crucial game arrives on Monday when the Spaniard’s former club Wolverhampton Wanderers make the trip to Stratford.