West Ham United eased to a 2-0 win against Leicester City as they continued to show signs of improvement under new boss Graham Potter.
Tomas Soucek put the Hammers ahead, as he converted on the rebound from close range, after Mads Hermansen had prevented Mohammed Kudus from scoring following Aaron Cresswell's cross.
The hosts doubled their lead shortly before the interval when Leicester failed to clear properly from a corner, and Jarrod Bowen's shot deflected in off Jannik Vestergaard for an own goal.
Leicester tried to force a way back in the second half but could not find a breakthrough, as the hosts enjoyed a comfortable evening against the Foxes.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
This game was all but settled in the first half, as West Ham looked the much better side in the opening 45 minutes of the game and deserved their 2-0 lead at the break.
It is often said that 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline to protect, and the visitors did give it more of a go in the second half, but they just could not find the goal that would have given them some hope.
The Foxes were sloppy in defence throughout the game, and they were left open at times in the second half as they searched for a route back into the match.
Unfortunately for the visitors, that never happened, and West Ham coasted their way to an easy three points in front of their own fans.
West Ham are now 16 points clear of the drop zone and looking up the table, whereas Leicester are still five points adrift of safety as they sit 19th in the Premier League table.
WEST HAM VS. LEICESTER HIGHLIGHTS
Tomas Soucek goal vs. Leicester (21st min, West Ham 1-0 Leicester)
A goal for the birthday boy, as Soucek gives the hosts the lead!
Leicester's Hermansen did enough to stop Kudus from giving West Ham the lead, but he could do nothing about Soucek knocking the ball past him on the rebound. West Ham have the lead here in a game that needed a goal to inject some life into it.
Jannik Vestergaard own goal vs. Leicester (43rd min, West Ham 2-0 Leicester)
2-0 West Ham! This one will be frustrating for the visitors for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, there will be some debate whether the corner that the hosts scored from should have been one, as it was certainly a faint touch off the Leicester defender.
Then secondly, Ruud van Nistelrooy will be annoyed at how badly it was defended by his side - Jamie Vardy tried to clear the ball away, but his header fell to the feet of Bowen, who is allowed space to shoot, and his effort deflects in off Vestergaard into the net.
Either way, the Hammers have doubled their advantage, and it looks like a long way back for the visitors here!
MAN OF THE MATCH - JARROD BOWEN
The man that netted West Ham's winner against Arsenal at the weekend played a big role in another important win for the Hammers.
Their second goal will go down as an own goal from Vestergaard, but Bowen pounced on a loose ball and put in the work to get his rewards, to cap off a fine performance from the England international.
WEST HAM VS. LEICESTER MATCH STATS
Possession: West Ham 58%-42% Leicester
Shots: West Ham 8-10 Leicester
Shots on target: West Ham 2-2 Leicester
Corners: West Ham 3-3 Leicester
Fouls: West Ham 12-6 Leicester
BEST STATS
WHAT NEXT?
With both sides already out of the FA Cup, the two teams have a little bit of a break now before their next games.
Leicester return to the capital on March 9 to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, while the Hammers will host Newcastle United a day later at the London Stadium.
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