Leicester 2-1 West Ham: No one thought it possible, but it happened. In the 2015/16 season, Leicester City won the Premier League. Just two years ago, the FA Cup also went to the East Midlands. An attack on the Big Six was supposed to be the next step, but the harsh reality is that Leicester will play in the Championship next season.
Sunday’s home game against West Ham United at the King Power Stadium resulted in a 2-1 win. With this position, the teams have closed the season. Leicester City took the lead in the 34th minute through Harvey Barnes, with an assist from Kelechi Iheanacho.
With almost half an hour to go, Wout Faes scored and increased the lead with an assist from Youri Tielemans. Pablo Fornals eased West Ham United’s deficit with an assist from Danny Ings in the 79th minute. But West Ham United were unable to get back into the game. This brought the final score to 2-1.
Suffering Leicester leaves Premier League behind: “I failed”
Leicester did what it had to do on Sunday. The Foxes won at West Ham United’s King Power Stadium. Since Everton also triumphed, that was not enough to save the day. That means that after the summer, Leicester will play in the second tier for the first time since the 2013/14 season. A huge blow for the club, which only managed nine points from the last eight games.
The dismissal of Brendan Rodgers had to provide a shock effect in Leicester, but interim coach Dean Smith could not turn the tide either. “I felt like we needed 11 points to stay in. That was the case, but we only got nine points. I’ve failed in that regard,” Smith said.
From Premier League champions to relegation
After Blackburn Rovers, Leicester is only the second champion of the Premier League to be relegated. From the Championship, The Foxes have to build a new future under the leadership of chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha. “It is clear that he is putting his time and effort into football,” said Smith. “My own future? I’m not thinking about that yet. That will come at a later time.”
Captain Jonny Evens is convinced that Leicester will return in due course. He said, “Everyone wants to play in the Premier League. There are many decisions to be made, many players are out of contract. There is a lot of talk about players wanting to make a transfer. That makes sense after a relegation. I’m sure the club is making the right choices.”
