West Ham’s travelling supporters launched into a chant about Jamie Vardy’s wife Rebekah during their match at Leicester but the Foxes striker had a perfect response
Barely a minute passed between West Ham fans mocking Jamie Vardy’s wife Rebekah and the veteran striker scoring against the Hammers for Leicester.
Former England international Vardy, 38, has been back playing Premier League football this term. The striker helped Leicester bounce back to the top flight last season after relegation in 2023, and Tuesday night’s goal was his fifth of the season.
Pretty much from the get-go, sections of the visiting support launched into chants targeting Rebekah, 42. However, they were quickly silenced when the Foxes went in front – and it had to be Vardy.
The former Fleetwood star beat the offside trap to put the Foxes in front. It was only confirmed after a VAR check, but his celebrations in front of the West Ham supporters suggested he had heard their chants.
The goal was Leicester’s first with Ruud van Nistelrooy in the dugout. The new manager took a watching brief for the weekend defeat at Brentford, but oversaw a 3-1 win in his first official match in charge.
“In the end you look at the result and the three points, in the position that we are in, it’s vital,” said Van Nistelrooy, who admitted there were still things to work on. “With the other fixtures of this round we knew it was a big one for us.
“The result is what matters but I have also seen the game and West Ham were dominant. I think our fighting spirit got us through the game and we were effective in scoring. A great night.”
How many goals will Jamie Vardy finish with this season? Have your say in the comments section
West Ham recorded 31 shots at the King Power Stadium, but failed to net until they were already 3-0 behind. Bilal El-Khannouss and substitute Patson Daka scored the other Leicester goals, with Niclas Fullkrug returning from injury to put away a late consolation.
“It’s frustrating because I think we deserve much more,” Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui told Amazon Prime. “It’s hard to say this when you lose 3-1 but it’s true.
“Normally you have to win this match but we didn’t score when we have to do and we suffered after the first goal. We did very well in the first half, we had a lot of chances but we didn’t score. Football is about goals. It’s a hard day for us. Maybe we have to remember this game as a way that we have to build for the next matches.”
West Ham are up against Lopetegui’s former club Wolves in their next league game, with pressure growing on the manager. Leicester are at home again this weekend, welcoming Brighton to the King Power on Sunday.
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