Capital punishment
City suffer at the London Stadium
LEICESTER City endured a dismal first away day of the new Premier League season as they were thumped 4-1 by West Ham.
Ayoze Perez’s straight red card just before half-time had given City a mountain to climb with Brendan Rodgers’ side already trailing.
There was brief hope of a comeback when Youri Tielemans scored, but a late Michail Antonio brace consigned them to their heaviest defeat since November last year.
Pablo Fornals’ finish had put West Ham in front, and he was then on the end of Perez’s lunge that saw the City winger receive a straight red card after a VAR review.
In the second half, Said Benrahma capitalised on a Caglar Soyuncu mistake, before Tielemans got City back into the game, Antonio coming to the fore in the final 10 minutes.
City had had problems before the game with new centre-back Jannik Vestergaard joining several team-mates in the treatment room after picking up an injury.
With City short on defenders, West Ham are possibly the last team they would like to have faced.
The Hammers’ strengths on the counter and at set-pieces were where City were at their weakest last season, and David Moyes’ side scored six across the clubs’ two meetings as the only Premier League side to do the double over Brendan Rodgers and his players.
The game immediately settled into the same pattern as last season, with City dominating possession but the chances falling to West Ham.
At half-time, City had had 59 per cent of the ball, but two shots compared to the hosts’ nine.
At first, the Hammers’ shots were speculative – Benrahma, Declan Rice and Michail Antonio all trying their luck from outside the area, with Kasper Schmeichel making one easy save while watching the other efforts fly past his post.
That’s not to say City did nothing at all with their possession.
Occasionally their patience would lead to Youri Tielemans or James Maddison slipping a nice pass into Harvey Barnes to attack the box, but he usually found Craig Dawson in the way of his final ball.
What City could not do against West Ham was give them a counter they were not well-set for.
But midway through the first half, Jamie Vardy unexpectedly conceded possession to Declan Rice on halfway, and the Hammers charged forward.
Luke Thomas and Soyuncu both dived in without success, and the ball was played out to Benrahma.
He crossed and there was Fornals flying in, the Spaniard finishing tidily, spinning the ball into the bottom corner.
Moments later, Tomas Soucek nearly made it 2-0, West Ham showing their other top attribute: their aerial prowess.
The Czech’s header went just wide.
But that sparked a response from City, who then created their best two chances of the first half.
With Barnes blocked out down the left, City went down the right, and found joy.
First, Perez slipped in Ricardo Pereira, only for the Portuguese to slip over as he let fly, his shot hitting the side-netting.
Then, James Maddison’s delightful flick fell to Perez in the area, but he chose to shoot first time, putting it well wide, when he had time to take a touch.
Still, at the other end, West Ham’s aerial dominance continued as Dawson nodded a corner just wide.
Then came City’s second big blow of the first half: a red card. Schmeichel rolled the ball in to Perez’s feet and under pressure from Aaron Cresswell he went stumbling back towards his own goal, stretching to stop the ball reaching Fornals.
The goalscorer went down holding his leg and, while he received treatment, VAR had another look.
Perez, in his attempt to shield the ball from Fornals, had planted his studs on his compatriot’s shin.
When referee Michael Oliver went over to check his monitor, there was only going to be one outcome.
They may have been a man down at the break, but if City
wanted to take any positives, the scoreline was at least better than it was at the interval in the last two games against the Hammers, where they had trailed by two after 45.
But when the second half started, the Hammers were looking to press home their man advantage, rather than sit on their lead, and the chances kept coming.
First, Soucek prodded over, then Schmeichel had to be alert to palm away Antonio’s header.
But the second goal was never too far away, and eventually, City gifted it to the hosts.
Soyuncu played a calamitous, blind back pass and Antonio intercepted.
He retained his composure as Schmeichel closed him down and played across the box for Benrahma to tap into the empty net.
Antonio was still on the goal hunt himself and Schmeichel had to turn a shot of his around the post. He wouldn’t be denied for long.
First, City gave themselves hope of a comeback.
The introduction of Patson Daka had at least made West Ham think and the change in formation from City disrupted play enough for them to get one back.
Maddison crossed from the left, Vardy and Daka missed the cross, leaving it for Tielemans to strike at the back post.
His first effort was blocked by Cresswell, but he kept his cool to pounce on the rebound, prodding it beneath Lukasz Fabianski.
The hope was there for 10 minutes for City, until Antonio finally got the better of Schmeichel with a late double.
Firstly, he spun Soyuncu too easily to blast in, then he broke free of Amartey to control a cross and stretch to finish, the ball trickling over the line to cap a dreadful night for City.