Last Updated on February 28, 2025
West Ham cruised to a 2-0 victory over struggling Leicester City at the London Stadium on Thursday, capitalizing on defensive errors to secure a comfortable win. Tomas Soucek, celebrating his 30th birthday, opened the scoring in the 21st minute, pouncing on a loose ball from close range. Just before halftime, a deflected shot from Jarrod Bowen forced Leicester’s Jannik Vestergaard into an own goal, doubling the home side’s lead.
This marked back-to-back wins for West Ham under Graham Potter, following their unexpected 1-0 triumph over Arsenal. The Hammers had been in a rough patch, with three losses and a draw in their previous four matches, but this latest result saw them climb to 15th place, overtaking Everton. Meanwhile, Leicester’s struggles continued, remaining stuck in 19th place—five points away from safety.
Speaking after the match, Potter highlighted the contrast between this performance and their previous win. “They were two very different games,” he said. “Tonight, we had to take control and dominate possession.”
Leicester’s form has been nothing short of disastrous, losing 11 of their last 12 league matches. Under Ruud van Nistelrooy, they’ve managed only two wins in 14 league games, and their remaining fixtures don’t get any easier, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest still to come.
West Ham’s first-half dominance was especially evident down the right wing, where Aaron Wan-Bissaka constantly tested Leicester’s Victor Kristiansen. Bowen played a key role in both goals, first by forcing a poor clearance that led to Soucek’s opener and then delivering a shot in the 43rd minute that deflected off Vestergaard and into the net. Despite Bowen’s celebration, the goal was officially credited as an own goal.
Leicester showed slightly more fight in the second half, but West Ham held firm, rarely looking troubled. The Foxes have now gone four straight league games without scoring, while conceding 12 goals in that span—piling even more pressure on Van Nistelrooy.
Looking ahead, West Ham will host Newcastle on March 10 before traveling to Everton (March 15) and Wolves (April 1). Leicester’s brutal schedule continues with Chelsea (March 9), Manchester United (March 16), and Manchester City (April 2). Asked whether he expects to remain in charge for the Chelsea match, Van Nistelrooy kept his response short: “I keep working, I keep going.”