Leicester City 3-1 West Ham: Van Nistelrooy makes winning start with Foxes

Ruud van Nistelrooy made an immediate impression in his first game as Leicester City manager as the Foxes battled to a 3-1 victory over fellow Premier League strugglers West Ham.

Jamie Vardy fired Leicester ahead after just two minutes at the King Power Stadium, with his opener initially ruled out for offside before a VAR review led to the goal being awarded.

West Ham then dominated but were unable to capitalize on their chances and hit the woodwork through Danny Ings before Tomas Soucek's foul on Mads Hermansen led to a potential second-half equalizer being disallowed.

Bilal El Khannouss, who scored Vardy's opener, extended Leicester's lead with a smart finish just after the hour, before substitute Patson Daka scored a third in the 90th minute.

Niclas Fullkrug provided an injury-time consolation for West Ham but they remain 14th in the table as pressure continues to mount on boss Julen Lopetegui.

Leicester's first win since October moves Leicester up to 15th place, four points clear of the relegation zone, after ending a five-match winless streak.

Starting with a win!

Provided by @bcgame #LEIWHU pic.twitter.com/X90nFSbMLm

— Leicester City (@LCFC) December 3, 2024

Data Debrief: Vardy starts the Van Nistelrooy celebration

Vardy's opener for Leicester was his 100th Premier League goal at home (73 goals, 27 assists), becoming the 14th time a player has reached a century at a specific venue in the competition.

Indeed, Vardy has scored the first Premier League goal under six different Leicester managers, extending his own record for a side in the competition (Claudio Ranieri, Craig Shakespeare, Claude Puel, Brendan Rodgers, Steve Cooper, Van Nistelrooy).

That opener set a remarkable record as Van Nistelrooy became the first manager to win consecutive Premier League games, both for and against the same team (also 3-0 against Leicester with Manchester United).

In stark contrast, West Ham scored 31 shots in this match, their most ever (since 2005–06) in a single Premier League match, but came away with nothing after further frustration.