LEICESTER: Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy got off to a winning start in his first game in charge as they beat West Ham United 3-1 in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Veteran striker Jamie Vardy, 20-year-old Bilal El Khannouss and substitute Patson Daka scored as Leicester took their chances while a dominant West Ham were guilty of spurning several good opportunities, only getting a late consolation goal from Niclas Fullkrug.

Van Nistelrooy was appointed on Friday to replace Steve Cooper after the Foxes made a poor start to the season and although he did not have much time with his new charges, his arrival injected some much-needed good fortune into the club.

The win moved Leicester, who last won six weeks ago, from a point above the relegation places to 15th, while West Ham are one place above them in the standings.

“On a long-term basis we know the performances need to get better. But the spirit and how we want to do things we saw today because, if not, the Premier League is too brutal,” said Van Nistelrooy.

The Dutchman said he had been “astonished” by the number of offers he received after a four-game spell as interim Manchester United boss, which included two wins over Leicester.

On the other hand the result piled more pressure on under fire West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui.

“A frustrating night because we deserved much more today,” said Lopetegui. “Normally we have to win this match but we didn’t because we didn’t score.”

In Tuesday’s other fixture, Crystal Palace edged Ipswich Town 1-0 as Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal at Portman Road.

In the battle of two more sides at the bottom end of the table the Frenchman produced a classy finish from Eberechi Eze’s pass on the hour mark to secure the Eagles’ first away win of the season.

Palace pull three points clear of the bottom three, while Ipswich remain second from bottom and winless at home on their return to the top flight.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2024