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By HARRY BAMFORTH and JAMES SHARPE AT LONDON STADIUM Published: 05: 30 AEDT, 28 February 2025 | Updated: 08: 57 AEDT, 28 February 2025 18 View comments Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest live score, team news and updates as West Ham host Leicester City in the Premier League at the London stadium. By James Sharpe At London Stadium By Harry Bamforth That was just so, so comfortable for West Ham. The players are leaving that pitch with not even a drop of sweat on their faces; they didn't have to put in an ounce of effort. The Hammers won't have an easier 90 minutes than that for the rest of the season, that's for sure. They have backed up that brilliant win at Arsenal with another three points and another clean sheet. It wasn't the most impressive display, but the points are all that matter. By Harry Bamforth Well, thank goodness that's over. That may be one of the most boring, if not the most, games I have ever covered in my career. I'm not joking; barely anything happened. West Ham got their two goals and just cruised to victory without Leicester even throwing a punch. The Foxes are heading for the drop, the way they are going. By Harry Bamforth I just hope that these three minutes go as quickly as possible, I just want this game to end. The Leicester fans have had enough, and same with some Hammers, the stadium is emptying. By Harry Bamforth The only updates right now are substitutions because nothing else is even happening. Fan-favourite Andy Irving gets a few minutes to run around, and birthday boy Tomas Soucek makes way. By Harry Bamforth Some more changes from Ruud van Nistelrooy late on. Luke Thomas and Patson Daka are on for the final knocking here, just for a bit of a good time, I suppose. I mean, I can't see them changing how this game is going to end. By Harry Bamforth Ooh, another chance. Look at them go. This time, it's from a Leicester player as Victor Kristiansen has a crack from distance. He gets some oomph behind the effort and the ball flies comfortably over the bar. By Harry Bamforth OH MY WORD! WE HAVE HAD A SHOT! I am sat here in disbelief, there has actually been an effort on goal in this game. Jarrod Bowen breaks and slides through Evan Ferguson, but his shot is blocked. He should do better, but I will take a shot over nothing. .. By Harry Bamforth Anyone got any book recommendations? Nothing is happening in this game, so I may as well strike up some other conversation. I really need a new read. By Harry Bamforth My word, I am pretty bored. I can't remember the last time I saw anything of note happen in this game. If you look through this blog, there has been barely any mention of shots. It's been a terrible watch. By Harry Bamforth Here comes Evan Ferguson! The West Ham striker finally gets his chance to impress as he comes on for Mohammed Kudus. Can he liven up this game? I hope he can. By Harry Bamforth I have been having a pop at Leicester all evening, but West Ham are not off the hook. When you actually deep it, the Hammers really haven't been great at all. Mads Hermansen has barely had anything to do other than pick the ball up out of the net. If they aren't careful, they will allow Leicester back into this. By Harry Bamforth My word, Konstantinos Mavropanos has a set of wheels on him. The centre-back manages to steam past the pacey Stephy Mavididi, which I didn't see coming. At the end of it all, though, he flattens Victor Kristiansen and gives away a cheap foul. Still, I didn't realise how quick the Greek was. By James Sharpe At London Stadium By Harry Bamforth Oh, hello. .. Leicester have woken up and even had a cheeky little effort on goal, much better from then. They win a corner, and the big lad at the back, Jannik Vestergaard, manages to meet it. It's a decent header, but Alphonse Areola collects it with relative ease. By Harry Bamforth Now it's Graham Potter's turn to the bench. The West Ham boss is making a triple substitution as his side have started to lose a grip on this game a little. Carlos Soler, Emerson, and Konstantinos Mavropanos are the trio that come on. Edson Alvares, Ollie Scarles, and Jean-Clair Todibo are the players who make way. Still, no Evan Ferguson to be seen. .. By Harry Bamforth It's crazy what a couple of changes can do, eh? Stephy Mavididi has come on and showed a bit of fight, he is lunging to make tackles and running around a bit. All of a sudden, Leicester have a hold of the ball and have a bit more about them. It's never too late for a comeback. .. By Harry Bamforth Ruud van Nistelrooy is making some changes, at last. Stephy Mavididi and Harry Winks enter the action to try and change things out there. Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Boubakary Soumare are the ones who are hooked. By Harry Bamforth Oh my word, Leicester actually have a corner. .. is this real life? It brings an ironic cheer from the away end; I think they are in as much disbelief as I am. There are soon groans, though, as the corner is just so poor. I don't know what I was expecting, to be honest. By Harry Bamforth That just sums up this Leicester performance. They finally manage to make a foray forward but the move ends up with Bilal El Khannouss crossing the ball out of play. Even he is struggling these days, which tells you everything about Leicester's confidence levels. By Harry Bamforth Aaron Wan Bissaka is balling out, right now. He is having so much fun down the right flank; he has even just done a cheeky backheel. I never thought I would see Wan-Bissaka bring out skills like that, but he's a new man under Graham Potter. By Harry Bamforth If this game continues as it is, I am going to run out of things to write about. I'm not telling fibs. West Ham are just knocking it about, but look like they are showing some mercy on Leicester, rather than going for the throat. I'd rather they just go for it and create something, so I don't feel as useless as I do now. By Harry Bamforth This is just all too easy for West Ham; it really is. You'd have thought Leicester would have come out fighting after the break here, but they are going down with a whimper. It's actually quite thought to watch; they are really struggling. By Harry Bamforth We are ready to go again. Ruud van Nistelrooy has not made a single change for this second half, which is just baffling to me. Will they improve at all? I can't see it. By Harry Bamforth Sorry, Jarrod, I have some bad news. Bowen was proper going for it in the celebrations for the second goal, he thought he had netted twice in two games. Well, it has now been confirmed as a Jannik Vestergaard own goal, so he is back to just seven goals for the season. You just knew that was coming. By Harry Bamforth Want to see how West Ham doubled their lead? Of course you do. Jarrod Bowen really is in his groove right now, and this may just be one of the strangest goals he has ever scored. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if it is taken off him, to be honest. You make your own luck these day, s and Bowen has certainly earned it with how he has been playing. Watch and enjoy. By James Sharpe At London Stadium By Harry Bamforth It's time for that rollicking. .. West Ham lead at the break and they have barely even had to break a sweat out there. Leicester haven't laid a glove on them, it's one of the worst performances I have seen all season. Hammers in cruise control. By Harry Bamforth Leicester have just one minute until they are handed an absolute rollicking by Ruud van Nistelrooy. He looks really, really angry. By Harry Bamforth How has that gone in? ?? It's been coming, and it's one of the most bizarre goals I have seen this season. A corner falls to Bowen by the six-yard box, the ball bounces about, and then he somehow scores from the narrowest of angles. They all count, though. By Harry Bamforth West Ham are hardly getting out of second gear, but the thing is, they don't need to. I can't remember the last time Leicester even got out of their own half; they really have done nowt. By Harry Bamforth So close to a second! It really is all West Ham right now, they are doing however they please out there. They waltz their way through Leiecester before Jarrod Bowen has a pop just inside the area. It's a decent effort but flies just past the post. By Harry Bamforth I really do feel for the Leicester media team. I have just seen them tweet that their side have shown some 'promising passing at times'. I mean, I'm not sure what they are watching, but I have seen nothing promising about this Leicester display. It must suck trying to be positive when your side are playing this poorly. By Harry Bamforth Oh dear. .. We are in the 31st minute, and Leicester are already being ole'd every time they make a pass. The worst thing about that is that it's their own fans doing it. They really are just having a laugh at their own expense now. By Harry Bamforth Have Leicester just given up? They don't even look that bothered out there; they are putting in very little effort. It's almost like they are just going through the motions until they inevitably go down. A sad state of affairs. Desperatley poor. By James Sharpe At London Stadium By Harry Bamforth That was really poor defensively from Leicester. West Ham have barely even probed, but one attack is all it has taken to find a goal. I don't know why Jannik Vestergaard was so deep either; he played both Mohammad Kudus and Tomas Soucke onside. So sloppy. By Harry Bamforth Out of nowhere! It's the birthday boy, Tomas Soucek, who delivers the perfect present for West Ham to put them in front. The crowd calls for Ollie Scarles to shoot from 25 yards out, and somewhat surprisingly, he obliges. Mohammad Kudus actually gets a foot on the effort in an attempt to prod the ball home from close range. Mads Hermansen manages to save the strike, but the ball only goes as far as Soucek, who taps home the rebound. Boy, did this game need that. By Harry Bamforth Something has happened, I repeat, something has happened. Jamie Vardy shows a little burst of energy after winning the ball, and he races down the right. He sees Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the area and tries to pull the ball back to him, but there are too many bodies in the way. I mean, it's not much, but it's something. By Harry Bamforth Guys, I'm a little bored here. There is absolutely nothing to talk about. It's been a match of little activity so far. If there are no updates for a while, it may just be because I have fallen asleep; that's how poor this game is. I might have to ask my dinner question soon. By Harry Bamforth Oh, come on, Jarrod. .. I love Bowen as a player, but my word, I hate it when players take a dive for no reason. He goes down in the box after a 50/50 and then stays down, holding his head. I'm not sure why; there wasn't even contact with his head. Just get on with it, son. By Harry Bamforth OK, so not much is happening right now. A few passes here and there, a couple of throw-ins, but not much else. West Ham are having all the ball, and Leicester seem to be allowing them to pass it about as much as they want. It could be a long night for the Foxes; they just can't get the ball. By Harry Bamforth Jeez, that was a nervy moment. Victor Kristiansen nearly messes up a header to his goalkeeper with Jarrod Bowen waiting to pounce. The ball bobbles slowly toward Mads Hermansen, but luckily for the full-back, his keeper collects it before Bowen can get there. The Foxes' bright start has already ended; it's all West Ham. By James Sharpe At London Stadium By Harry Bamforth Leicester have started on the front foot here, they are up for this. A decent move ends with the ball falling to Wilfried Ndidi, and he just decided to have a pop. I mean, why not, eh? It's a decent effort from the midfielder, but Alphonse Areola gets low to deny him. By Harry Bamforth The speakers inside the London Stadium really are booming loudly, my word. There is a shout of 'Come On You Irons' over the tannoy before this game finally gets going. Since I had a pop at the atmosphere, it has improved a fair bit, although there are quite a few empty seats. Anyway, off we go. By Harry Bamforth I told you the atmosphere wouldn't be great. .. There was a pretty decent light show with some pyro before the team comes out, which was certainly entertaining. I'm guessing that was an attempt to get the crowd going, but it hasn't really worked. Even 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' isn't as spine-tingling as usual. Oh wait, maybe I spoke too soon. they continue to sing after the music goes on, and the noise goes up a notch. There are then some more fireworks as the two teams line-up - let's hope that's not the last we see of them tonight. I have my fingers and toes crossed for a good game. By Harry Bamforth Neil Lennon, former Leicester midfielder, on TNT Sports: By James Sharpe At London Stadium By Harry Bamforth It's time to get a little bit excited, guys. Kick-off is just 15 minutes away, and the players are just finishing off their warm-ups. There are only pictures of Leicester in the system at the moment, so just imagine the West Ham players having a run around. I can confirm that they are actually warming up; I have seen them. They're not just slacking off. Imagine a team not coming out for a warm-up; that would be mental. By Harry Bamforth Neil Lennon, former Leicester midfielder, on TNT Sports: By Harry Bamforth If Leicester can draw confidence from anything, it's that the London Stadium is most certainly not a fortress. It's far from it, that's for sure. West Ham are in danger of losing three consecutive home matches under Graham Potter after losing to Crystal and Brentford. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened this season; they also lost three in a row under Lopetegui. I mean, that's no surprise. .. they were shocking under the Spaniard. What would be a surprise, though, is if the Hammers lost tonight. I really can't see it happening. I don't think any Leicester fans can either, to be quite frank. By James Sharpe At London Stadium By Harry Bamforth West Ham may have finally found their Declan Rice replacement. I bet most of you, if not all, has no idea who Ollie Scarles was at the turn of the year. Well, West Ham fans will have known, but not the rest of you. I certainly wasn't aware of him until I witnessed him take to the pitch at Stamford Bridge. Since then, I have been keeping an eye on the 19-year-old, and my word, does he have a bright future ahead of him. Scarles was handed a surprise start away at Arsenal last week and he was exceptional. He ain't scared of nobody, however good they are. Tonight, he keeps his place and deservedly so. He is West Ham's most talented product since Rice walked through the door. Keep your eyes on the young lad tonight; he is a gem. By Harry Bamforth Graham Potter, West Ham boss, speaking to TNT Sports: By James Sharpe At London Stadium By Harry Bamforth Right, it's time to talk about an uncomfortable topic. That's right, whether a manager should be sacked or not. I always feel bad talking about it. Actually, no, I don't. It's football at the end of the day, isn't it? Ruud van Nistelrooy's stint as Leicester boss has been littered with losses. I mean, it's been a terrible few months. He has won just two Premier League matches in his time at the King Powe. It's truly shocking. Most of the fans' anger has been directed at the board and their players, but maybe the Dutchman should be coming under more heat. The Foxes were never this and under Steve Cooper, but they had no problem singing cheerio to him as he walked out the door. How many more defeats until it's the same for Van Nistelrooy? By Harry Bamforth Oh, just look at the London Stadium, so peaceful. Not a fan to be seen. In an hours time that will all change, although I am hardly expecting a crazy atmosphere. We all know what this ground is like; it's very hard to really get the noise levels going. I doubt the Leicester fans will really bring the heat either, given the situation they are in. But you never know, I could be proved wrong. By James Sharpe At London Stadium By Harry Bamforth I mean, it's not all bad for Leicester, I think. .. Don't get me wrong; I don't have many positive statistics to share about them from this season. However, they did win the reverse fixture, one of Ruud van Nistelrroy's two victories as boss. In fact, they have actually beaten West Ham in their last three meetings, which stretch back to 2022. Can they make it four on the spin tonight? By Harry Bamforth Chris Sutton, It's All Kicking Off! co-host, on BBC Sport: By Harry Bamforth Jarrod Bowen has been on absolute smoke at times recently. Well, only really against the big teams, but he has still found some good form. Goals away at both Chelsea and Arsenal must have him skipping into the London Stadium tonight. I mean, looking at that Leicester defence he must be licking his lips. I could see him bagging a few tonight. If I were the Foxes, I would be slightly worried. I mean, more than slightly, to be honest. Bowen's on fire. .. By Harry Bamforth Hmmm. .. now, this is interesting. Ruud van Nistelrooy has only made three changes from the side that got tonked against Brentford. I thought he would have ransacked the whole team; I can't lie. There is some good news for the Foxes, as James Justin is back from injury to take his place in the back four. Jannik Vestergaard joins him in the backline, while Facundo Buonanotte also comes in. Happy with the team, Leicester fans? By Harry Bamforth Why change a winning formula, eh? Graham Potter has opted to go with the same side that put Arsenal to the sword at the weekend. That means there is no start for Evan Ferguson; he has to settle for a spot on the bench. I wonder how he feels about that. By Harry Bamforth I am sat here eagerly awaiting the West Ham team news. There is just one reason why and that is because I am itching to find out whether Evan Ferguson will start tonight or not. 18 months or so ago, Ferguson was one of the most wanted young strikers in the game; everybody wanted a bit of him. But he has had a bit of a tough time since then, with injuries and a dip in form seeing his minutes at Brighton limited. Well, now he is on loan at West Ham, determined to get his career back on track, but we are yet to see him have a proper go. Ferguson is still awaiting his first start in claret and blue, and tonight could be the perfect opportunity to give him a runout. Will he get it? We are about to find out. By Harry Bamforth Ruud van Nistelrooy, Leicester manager, speaking on Wednesday: By Harry Bamforth Where to start with Leicester, eh? The simple fact of the matter is that they have been woeful. Wosre that that in fact, horrendous. Now, that may sound harsh, but their defeat at home to Brentford last week was frankly embarrassing. It was almost like they had already given up on fighting for survival. I had some choice words for Southampton on Tuesday night for throwing in the towel at Chelsea, and I have the same feelings toward this Leicester side. There are so many problems off the pitch that have caused the Foxes' downfall, but you also have to question things on it. They have lost 10 out of their last 11 Premier League games, with the other a victory away at Tottenham. Not exactly hard to do these days. We all know that this Leicester squad is not cut for the top flight; they have shown that on countless occasions under both Steve Cooper and Ruud van Nistelrooy. But somehow, they are still in with a fight of staying up. It's mental. With Wolves losing on Tuesday, a win at the London Stadium would take Leicester two points from safety. Tonight is simply massive for them; it really is. A must-win. By Harry Bamforth Graham Potter, West Ham boss, speaking on Wednesday: By Harry Bamforth Things are finally looking up at West Ham. Let's be honest; they have had a pretty terrible season, all things considered. They sit down in 16th, and life under former manager Julen Loptegui was bleak. But there is an air of optimism around the Hammers again. They looked refreshed and ready to climb the table. Ever since Graham walked through the door nearly seven weeks ago, there have been gradual improvements, but nothing to write home about. Well, that all changed last weekend. They waltzed over to rivals Arsenal and dented their title dreams for the second season running. Actually, they crushed them this time. Everything that Potter and his players have been working on finally clicked. They were resolute at the back and rinsed the Gunners opn the counter. While they may still sit 16th, they are some 13 points clear of the relegation zone and are only looking up now. Now that they have done it against the big boys, West Ham need to find some consistency. Facing a team such as Leicester tonight feels like the perfect chance to start a winning run. But it would just be the most West Ham thing ever to go and lose tonight, wouldn't it? If the Potter project is to continue to grow, you feel a win is key. By Harry Bamforth As I have already said, it has been a busy week in the Premier League, very busy indeed. So, I thought it only seems right to have a quick recap of what happened last night. It was a big evening in the title race. Well, I guess you could say 'what title race? ' now. On Sunday, I wrote that 'maybe' the title race was over after Liverpool's win over Manchester City. Well, now I can safely say that it IS over. Once again, Liverpool barely had to get out of second gear to cruise past an Alexander Isak-less Newcastle last night. Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister got the job done, and yet again, the Reds kept a clean sheet. And if their night wasn't already good enough, Arsenal dropped points yet again, away at Nottingham Forest. To say it was a boring game at the City Ground doesn't actually do it justice; it really was a snooze-fest. The stalemate leaves Arsenal 13 points behind Liverpool. Come on, with no attackers, they are never closing that. Elsewhwere, 10-men Manchester United avoided an early scare to edge a five-gola thriller against Ipswich at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, their rivals, Manchester City, returned to winning ways away at Tottenham, while Brentford and Everton played out a 1-1 draw. So yeah, it was a pretty busy night for us folks who work in the sport. I have only just recovered. By Harry Bamforth More football? Yes, please. Just as you think the sport is about to have a day off and we can all have a detox, another game comes around. OK, that may sound like I am moaning. I need to change my tune, right? Let me start again. After two days of intoxicating Premier League action, we have one final match to round off a brilliant week. Is that better? Tonight, a rejuvenated West Ham host a Leicester side that already has one foot in the Championship. With both teams languishing low in the table, it's a match in which nothing but three points will be good enough. I love it when there is a lot at stake, and that is certainly the case this evening. Right then, let's get cracker-lacking. Can’ t believe Leicester have let us have it . ..

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