Sunday, January 1

Hammers good run ends at Leicester

Leicester City 1 West Ham United 0 

Looking at Match of the Day it seems WHU were a little unlucky not to get something from this game. Leicester dominated the first twenty minutes, hit the post and then scored through the unmarked Slimani's header from a superb Albrighton cross. But after that West Ham created a lot of chances with Antonio hitting the bar with a superb volley, Ayew missed out in a goalmouth scramble, Antonio opted to pass when he could have shot and Payet having a free kick saved. In the second half Randolph made two fine saves from Mahrez and Chilwell, but Schmeichel had to make a great reflex stop from Cresswell's deflected free kick and Andy Carroll headed wide from an inviting Cresswell cross. 

Matt and Lisa were at the game and Matt's review was: "Our shape was all wrong at the start and we couldn't cope with their wingers Gray and Albrighton. But we improved and hit the bar and could have equalised. Lanzini was excellent when he came on, but Feghouli was poor as ever and Fernandes was a strange sub with Fletcher left on the bench and was also poor. Kouyate and Antonio below usual standards. The ref did pretty well."

Leicester seemed to get something of their title-winning zeal back and really looked up for it, so in a perverse way this performance was more encouraging than that at Swansea where we were gifted goals by a poor side. West Ham had 60 per cent of possession and created a lot after a sluggish start. We just need to be more clinical in front of goal as Big Sam might say. Now all we have to do is beat Man United tomorrow. Sit down Mourinho…    

3 comments:

matt said...

I thought this was a much better match than its last on Match of the Day status might have suggested; and I also thought Leicester played really well, much more like last season's form (or this year's Champions League form). But we matched them after the first half an hour and could easily have got a draw, and there was no shortage of effort. Just a shame the 9 injuries deprived Slaven of so many options. Leicester had no injuries, just Vardy suspended. Perhaps we could sign their medical team?

matt said...

And you might have thought after the utter fiasco of last summer's transfer window that David Sullivan would have lined up deals for the 25 goal a season striker and the right back we desperately need, so they could play in the important January games, especially with 3 players off to the African Cup of Nations. Needless to say, that's not happened; and we can expect to sign a couple of mediocre players on loan on the last day of January. Surely it is time for the Club to put transfers into the hands of a Director of Football?

Pete May said...

Yes, we looked unlucky and it was a very entertaining game. Agree about the signings, and waiting for Defoe - who is a great striker - is not really a goer as can't see Sunderland selling hair best player. Jenkinson would do as right back if we could get him back from Arsenal