West Ham 0-2 Leicester City
by Paul Donovan
at the London Stadium

WEST HAM will feel the World Cup cannot come soon enough, after the third home defeat in a week, this time against Leicester at the London Stadium.

The West Ham side is very much a work in progress and they are not going in the right direction at the moment.

The visitors were ahead inside seven minutes, when the impressive James Maddison, started the move, with a back heel. The sequence finished with Harvey Barnes turning the ball inside to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who passed across the penalty area for Maddison to smash into the roof of the net. 

The West Ham defenders went missing.

Lukasz Fabianski then pushed over a long range shot from Daniel Amarty.

West Ham's first real effort saw a sequence started by Said Benrahma, exchanging with Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek before the little Algerian saw his effort on the turn saved by Danny Ward.

West Ham were then denied an equaliser, when Bowen set up Soucek to fire home but the goal was ruled out for offside.

An incident packed half ended with Fabianski saving a penalty from Youri Tielemans.

The penalty award came when Craig Dawson was beaten for pace by Patson Daka, and finished up upending the player in the area.

The second half began promisingly for the home side, with Declan Rice putting his header from a corner narrowly over.

A Thilo Kehrer cross then skidded across the area, with no one on hand to tap home.

Leicester secured the points, though, with 20 minutes to go. A break away saw Ayoze Perez put Ashley Barnes away, Fabianski came out to intercept but the striker finished coolly putting the ball past the keeper.

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers paid tribute to his board for sticking by him, when things were not going so well at the start of the season.

He recalled how in the first seven games of the season, his team played well but weren't consistent. 

After a defeat against Bournemouth, they got together focusing on how to defend and press. "The players have been brilliant and it is huge testament to the board,"said Rodgers. "The owners let me get on with the work without pressure."

The Leicester manager also praised his opposite number David Moyes, highlighting his outstanding record over recent seasons, bringing European football to West Ham. Rodgers felt the new players are still bedding in, whilst some of the older players are in decline.

Moyes felt his team played well for large periods of the game.

"At the moment the mistakes we are making are being punished. I thought the players worked unbelievably hard today to get a result. We are all disappointed and have to take stock,'" said Moyes, who admitted the team have a real problem scoring goals at the moment.

Moyes said he understood the fans frustration but called for patience, whilst the new players settle.