West Ham cruised to a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester City on Thursday night at the London Stadium.
The win means West Ham recorded their first back-to-back wins of the season, following on from their 1-0 away victory over Arsenal last weekend.
The game itself wasn’t the most memorable, with a close-range goal from Tomas Soucek and a Jannik Vestergaard own-goal separating the two teams.
In truth, it wasn’t the most inspiring of performances from the Hammers, which registered just two shots on goal all game, and the win being more of a result of Leicester playing poorly rather than West Ham playing well.
With both goals coming in the first 45, the second half was a pretty dull affair to say the least, and it was a controlled but also safe display from the Hammers in this period.
In a game where West Ham didn’t create too much in front of goal and Leicester didn’t pose any threat going forward, there weren’t too many standout performers, but one player that did impress was James Ward-Prowse.
Ward-Prowse’s instant impact
Ward-Prowse didn’t seem to be favoured by Julen Lopetegui at the start of the season, which saw the England international loaned out to Nottingham Forest in the summer.
This decision will have raised a few eyebrows at the time, following on from a season where the midfielder had 19 goal contributions in all competitions and played in every Premier League game for the Hammers.
However, Ward-Prowse didn’t see much game time under Nuno Espirito Santo, and once Graham Potter arrived in East London, he made it clear the 30-year-old was part of his plans as he quickly recalled the midfielder.
Ward-Prowse was terrific against the Foxes, with the midfielder being pivotal in midfield and keeping the ball moving for the Hammers, completing 66 of his 70 attempted passes in the process.
For me, he was West Ham’s best player in the game, and his performance and energy highlighted how much we’ve missed his legs in midfield this season.
Potter has showed plenty of faith in the former Southampton captain, playing him in every game the midfielder’s been available to him since his return.
Ward-Prowse has added a stability to the Hammers’ team, which makes his return to the club feel like a new signing, and much credit has to be given to Potter for making the decision to bring him back and immediately integrating him into the team.
