Kelechi Iheanacho and Marc Albrighton were the only major positives as Leicester City succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to West Ham United on Sunday.
Leicester City were the stronger of the two sides in the early exchanges, albeit only slightly so and without any end product. West Ham United, though, slowly grew into the game and broke the deadlock in stunning manner, with the in-form Jesse Lingard scoring a wondrous curler just ahead of the half-hour mark.
West Ham were now in the ascendancy for good and just before the half-time break, Lingard would go on to double his and the Hammers’ tally for the afternoon after being set up by Jarrod Bowen on the end of a fine move that was aided by some schoolboy defending by Leicester. Minutes into the second period, West Ham made it 3-0, with Bowen finding the back of the net this time around.
Soon after David Moyes & co. seemed to have gone 4-0 up before being pulled back for offside. This would spark something in Leicester, who set up a frantic finale thanks to a couple of fine efforts by Kelechi Iheanacho, but West Ham held on for the narrow win. Despite the defeat, Leicester remain third on the Premier League table and The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Brendan Rodgers’s men.
Kasper Schmeichel: 5/10
There was not much that Schmeichel could have done to deny Jesse Lingard for his first goal, but what was he thinking when charging forward in the lead-up to the second West Ham goal? The Dane was hardly called into action otherwise, making just 1 save all game.
Daniel Amartey: 4/10
Starting on the right side of the back three again, Amartey produced a stinker of a performance that ended with him being taken off by Rodgers at half-time. His sloppiness on the ball nearly gifted West Ham a chance to score, before Schmeichel saved his blushes.
Jonny Evans: 4/10
Usually a reliable customer at the back for Leicester, Evans was ridiculously poor on Sunday. The veteran defender did make 3 key interceptions, but he was culpable of playing Bowen onside before Lingard scored his second and was caught out of position for the third West Ham goal. Has to do better.
Wesley Fofana: 5/10
Fofana was not directly to be blamed for any of the goals that West Ham scored, but the youngster needed to be more alert and sure of his positioning when the hosts aimed to get past him. Should have buried his header when unmarked during the final moment of the game. Won 17 duels and made a number of important tackles, though.
Ricardo Pereira: 6/10
Ricardo was the only Leicester defender who did not exactly underwhelm. Yes, there were a few sloppy moments and Ricardo ought to have taken aim at goal when set up by Youri Tielemans. But, the Portuguese defender was key in Leicester’s dominant periods in the game, winning the ball high up the pitch, including in the lead-up to Kelechi Iheanacho’s second goal, when he nicked the ball off Arthur Masuaku.
Ricardo Pereira has his first Premier League assist since returning from injury.
His last two Premier League assists have both come against West Ham. pic.twitter.com/NrYK4mouOV
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 11, 2021
Youri Tielemans: 6/10
A game of hits and misses for Tielemans, who was quite anonymous for much of the first half and was quite wasteful in possession as well. However, the Belgian midfielder steadily improved as the minutes wore on and even set up a delightful chance for Ricardo, only for the wing-back to make a poor decision inside the West Ham box.
Wilfred Ndidi: 5/10
A frustrating evening for Ndidi, who was bypassed by West Ham with ease, which ultimately meant that Leicester were unable to wrest away the control over the proceedings, especially in the first half, when he struggled to keep a lid on Lingard. Did complete 92 percent of his attempted passes while also winning 9 duels, but the damage had already been done.
Timothy Castagne: 5/10
Just not good enough on the day. Castagne was constantly a problem area for Rodgers in the defensive phases of the game and the Belgian international was also caught out in the build-up to the third West Ham goal. Did complete 91 percent of his attempted passes, but created nothing with his moves.
Dennis Praet: 4/10
A horrendous display by Praet, who just could not manage to get himself into the game and make a difference for Leicester. Did misplace just four passes during his appearance on the pitch, but did very little of note when progressing forward. Made way for Marc Albrighton, who was quite an upgrade over the Belgian midfielder.
Kelechi Iheanacho: 7/10
Most Premier League goals scored since Jesse Lingard made his West Ham debut:
??????? Jesse Lingard (8)
?? Kelechi Ịheanachọ (8)Both at the double today. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/wsjoDm7lP5
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 11, 2021
You just cannot stop this man from scoring right now, can you? Iheanacho endured a difficult game for the first three-quarters of the proceedings and there were times when he was anonymous. But, the Nigerian striker was at hand to produce two top class finishes, with the one of the opener being simply outstanding. Did give the ball away in the lead-up to West Ham’s third, however.
Jamie Vardy: 5/10
Just not in form at the moment and Vardy is in need of some inspiration. Against West Ham, the veteran striker flitted in and out of the game; and while he did not always receive the right kind of support, the Englishman did not utilise possession properly either when afforded time on the ball. Set up the late chance for Fofana, though.
SUBSTITUTES
Luke Thomas: 6/10
Not a lot that Thomas had to do in the second half, with Leicester assuming control in search of the goals to salvage at least a point. Passing was poor, though, when he needed to be more efficient instead.
Marc Albrighton: 7/10
On for Praet, Albrighton produced a superb cameo that saw him being camped not just in the West Ham half but exclusively in the final third of the pitch for the most part. Involved in the build-up to the second goal that Iheanacho scored and played a joint-game-high 3 key passes. Has to be recalled next game.
