West Ham United didn’t have to get out of second gear as they breezed past Leicester City on Thursday night.
Finishing our Scout Notes from Gameweek 27, we look back on a 2-0 win for the Hammers at the London Stadium.
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A RECAP OF THE ACTION… OR LACK THEREOF
The Gameweek 27 closer was an instantly forgettable affair. The Hammers didn’t break a sweat en route to victory; they didn’t have to.
Bossing possession without creating many chances themselves, West Ham ended up with the fourth-lowest number of penalty box touches (14) in Gameweek 27. Leicester, unsurprisingly, were rock-bottom (10).
“I wouldn’t want to say comfortable because at 2-0 it’s a difficult scoreline to manage. We knew they’d have a reaction in the second half. As much as you want, especially as an attacker, you want to go out and score three or four, you’ve got a job without the ball as well to keep a clean sheet.” – Jarrod Bowen
Over half of West Ham’s xG came from their first goal. Mohammed Kudus (£6.2m) was denied from point-blank range, with Tomas Soucek (£4.9m) converting the rebound.
We didn’t see another big chance for another hour. That came from substitute Evan Ferguson (£5.5m), who dallied when clean through and saw his shot blocked. Konstantinos Mavropanos (£4.3m) also nodded over a corner from close range late on.
Leicester, meanwhile, were woeful in the first half. There was a marginal improvement after the interval but ultimately the Foxes only mustered two meek shots on target, both of which Alphonse Areola (£4.2m) could have thrown his metaphorical cap on.
BOWEN UP TOP WITH KUDUS AGAIN
This was another match in which Graham Potter sent out Bowen and Kudus as a front two, mimicking the tactics he used at Arsenal.
You would have perhaps expected Potter to go a little more attacking for the visit of Leicester, introducing another forward or attacking midfielder at the expense of one of the three in central midfield.
Bowen and Kudus owners emerged with six points apiece but will rue more lost. Kudus should have scored when Soucek did, while Bowen saw his 43rd-minute effort chalked up as a Jannik Vestergaard (£3.9m) own-goal. The England winger was denied another assist late on when Ferguson hesitated for that aforementioned opportunity.
SCOUT: After review, the assist for West Ham’s second goal is awarded to Jarrod Bowen. His shot forced the own-goal by Jannik Vestergaard.#FPL #WHULEI https://t.co/zdKn9aAPtG
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 27, 2025
POTTERING ABOUT
Above: Premier League teams sorted by lowest xG since Graham Potter arrived at West Ham
The Hammers will toast back-to-back wins, something they hadn’t previously done all season. There are definite signs of improvement under Potter: more structure, more tactical innovation and more commitment to the cause.
But it’s not exactly been a thrill a minute. While you would expect chances to be few and far between against Arsenal at the weekend, you’d similarly anticipate more than the eight shots they registered against Leicester. Even the Foxes had more than that (10).
Since Potter took charge, only the three clubs boomeranging back to the Championship have clocked up a lower xG.
CRESSWELL RENAISSANCE?
Aaron Cresswell (£3.9m) was once, if not A-list FPL royalty, certainly in the ‘Earl of Wessex’ tier.
For nine seasons he set Fantasy managers back more than £5.0m, his pinnacle as a mid-price defender coming in 2020/21 when he finished with 11 assists and 153 points.
He’s faded from prominence since, with many assuming that the 35-year-old’s days as a regular starter were numbered.
Is he back now, though? He’s started five of the last six Premier League games under Potter, putting in some impressive displays. His one benching came in Gameweek 25 when Potter’s experiment with a 4-2-3-1 failed.
Operating as a third centre-half (on the left of a back three), he doesn’t need to be the up-and-down full-back of past. Ollie Scarles (£4.0m) or Emerson Palmieri (£4.4m) provide the requisite legs outside of Cresswell.
The veteran defender is back on some set plays, too, although James Ward-Prowse‘s (£6.1m) return to the side means it’s a jobshare at best.
Cresswell would have had an assist had Kudus converted his 21st-minute chance but the experienced defender at least walked off with maximum bonus points.
There’s still the risk that Cresswell is the fall guy if/when Potter moves to a back four – but maybe the Brentford game was enough to put the West Ham boss off that again.
