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MANAGING West Ham these days is silly that David Moyes could do it wearing carpet slippers.
Now that I think about it, I probably will!
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Who knew working from home could be so much fun?
Cup of tea – check. Shooters Pack – Check. Remote control – check.
“Okay, I have Stuart Pearce on speed dial, so I’m going to put my feet by the fire and direct operations from here.”
Managers always claim that they see more from the director’s box than from ground level in their technical area, so perhaps West Ham’s self-isolating boss has delivered a masterstroke here.
BT’s coverage and handy app allow the Hammers boss to see the action from every angle imaginable, so maybe working indoors on days like this is a positive bonus.
Certainly, Brendan Rodgers must have envied his rival as he strode down the tunnel at halftime, his face like thunder after witnessing his team implode to enter the halftime two goals behind.
Soaked, livid and lost. Rodgers was having a bad day at the office.
Meanwhile, back at Castle Moyes, the owner was probably turning on the kettle for another brew!
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Meanwhile, back at Castle Moyes, the owner was probably turning on the kettle for another brew!
He had already witnessed his team defeat Leicester with an ease that must even have taken the Scotsman by surprise.
Confident, steely and utterly dominant, they crushed a Foxes team that had beaten Manchester City 5-2 seven days earlier, destroying any idea Leicester had of returning to the top of the table.
The Hammers took the lead in the 16th minute with their first attack of any note, with a goal that showed the Leicester defense in a very poor light.
It also demonstrated the raw power and deadly finishing ability of Michail Antonio.
The Hammers forward lunged at Leicester like a wrecking ball into a dilapidated building as he ruthlessly intimidated them.
Antonio shook Caglar Soyuncu’s bones with a chilling challenge that led to the Turkish defender hitting his legs.
Instead of playing dying swan, Antonio stood up and swept a cross ball towards Aaron Cresswell and then hopped his bike towards the back post.
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By the time he got there, Cresswell had timed his deep angle cross to perfection.
He chose his target with laser precision and Antonio made Soyuncu suffer a bit more when he took his left shoulder off his marker to propel his header past Kasper Schmeichel from eight yards.
That goal saw Antonio set a new club record as the first Hammers player to score in five straight road games.
No player has scored more than the 10 Antonio has won since the Premier League returned in June to underscore his worth for Moyes.
Once up front, West Ham never seemed to ease their dominance in this game against a strangely subdued Foxes team that was deprived of midfield wizard James Maddison when he suffered a calf strain in training.
Without him, Jamie Vardy was left with a lot to do just up front, though New England squad Harvey Barnes did his best to back him up.
Yet further back, Leicester’s real problems lay in too many simple passes trapping their three-man defense in the jump.
Soyuncu needed a desperate lunge to ward off Pablo Fornals, whose shot was deflected over Schmeichel only to shake the roof of the net.
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However, the visitors doubled their lead on their next attack after 34 minutes when the Foxes were finished off again.
Aaron Cresswell took a shot down the left, Arthur Masuaku threw it back and Cresswell shot up and down on the Leicester defense.
Pablo Fornals walked away in splendid isolation and once he had produced a sublime first touch, he simply stepped forward to hit the ball and pass a horribly exposed Kasper Schmeichel.
It didn’t get any prettier for Leicester after the break.
Barnes flew after Fabianski landed a horrible pass from Angelo Ogbonna, but it was a rare sighting on goal for the locals.
Antonio should have killed the game when he headed straight for Schmeichel from 10 yards, then the Dane challenged him when he extended a strong right arm to avoid his good shot.
However, West Ham ended the competition with seven minutes remaining when Declan Rice came off defense to Fornals, who split the Blues to send Jarrod Bowen into full throttle.
The winger stood his ground to send a left-handed shot that passed over Schmeichel, who was again unprotected.
Rice then even lit up an empty King Power when he increased 60 yards with Papys Mendy dangling from his shoulder before shooting the ball from the bottom of the bar from eight yards.
Leicester thought they had seized a late consolation when Barnes played 1-2 with Iheanacho and Vardy before moving on to Fabianski.
But a VAR check saw that Vardy was a fraction offside, to cap off a miserable afternoon for Rodgers.
Moyes?
He probably went to enjoy his Sunday lunch!
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