West Ham United breezed past Leicester City to make it back-to-back Premier League wins under Graham Potter, jumping back above David Moyes’ Everton into 15th.
It’s been a turbulent season for the Hammers, who struggled to get going under Julen Lopetegui, but the gradual gains under former Chelsea and Brighton boss Potter have come to fruition in recent days, playing with resilience and purpose to win at the Emirates and indeed brushing the Foxes aside at the London Stadium.
Tomas Soucek scored on his birthday to set the tone, with Jarrod Bowen forcing an own goal from Jannik Vestergaard before the interval. It was controlled and dominant, and Leicester never really looked like troubling Alphonse Areola.
How West Ham beat Leicester
Ultimately, this was a routine victory for West Ham, who dominated the ball (finishing with 58% possession) and fashioned the brighter chances.
Ruud van Nistelrooy‘s side actually fired more shots at goal than the Irons (eight vs ten), but Sofascore record that they failed to create a single big chance and forced just one save. Moreover, West Ham enjoyed a large stretch of the opening half without having to do any defending at all, killing the game off in that timeframe.
Potter will be delighted with the commitment shown by his players, Soucek, for example, winning six duels and completing his one attempted dribble in a powerful central performance.
However, he and Bowen were outshone by ageing star Aaron Cresswell, who may have turned 35 in December but is playing like a man reborn under new management.
West Ham’s new undroppable star
Cresswell had been on the periphery for most of the campaign under Lopetegui but he’s enjoying quite the resurgence following the managerial switch, having now started five of West Ham’s past six Premier League outings, keeping successive clean sheets.
Having taken a staggering 137 touches for West Ham, Cresswell – who also completed 100% of his dribbles – was the creative centrepiece for his side, dictating from deep and channelling the flow that Leicester failed to get to grips with.
His tactical role under Potter allows him to fizz crisp crosses in from deep, and for a team of United’s physicality, this is a dangerous weapon and was applied effectively to spark Soucek’s goal, snuffing out Leicester’s bright start.
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Aaron Cresswell’s Performance vs Leicester |
|
|---|---|
|
Match Stats |
# |
|
Matches (starts) |
90′ |
|
Goals conceded |
0 |
|
Touches |
137 |
|
Accurate passes |
102/114 (89%) |
|
Big chances created |
2 |
|
Dribbles |
1/1 |
|
Tackles |
1 |
|
Interceptions |
4 |
|
Clearances |
2 |
|
Duels won |
4/8 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
With such a fierce and complete presence on the left side of Potter’s three-man backline, you could even say that Cresswell is currently undroppable in this squad, bringing a ball-playing quality that his peers – including the likes of Jean-Clair Todibo – are unable to match right now.
Claret & Hugh issued a glowing endorsement of the stalwart’s performance, handing Cresswell an 8/10 match rating and praising his defensive efforts, rescuing Max Kilman when the evergreen Jamie Vardy sought to pounce and playing the ball that led to Soucek’s opener.
Potter has a sharp tactical mind and will only continue to inculcate his teachings onto this talented West Ham squad. With veterans like Cresswell playing with a new lease of life, there’s hope for the months – and maybe years – ahead.
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