Ruud van Nistelrooy slams Leicester’s ‘passive’ first half performance in 2-0 defeat at West Ham but insists his team are ‘still in the fight’ to stay up

Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy was far from impressed with his team’s first half display in Thursday’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium.

The relegation-threatened Foxes were desperate for a result but any of hope that was all but gone by the half-time break.

Tomas Soucek opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Jannik Vestergaard turned the ball into his own net in the closing stages of the first half.

The visitors offered much more after the interval but were unable to make their efforts count.

The result leaves the club five points adrift of safety and a visibly frustrated Van Nistelrooy bemoaned their start to the game in his post-match interview.

‘The difference between the first and the second half, the way we start the game,’ he replied when asked what was missing from his side on the night.

Ruud van Nistelrooy criticised Leicester’s first half display against West Ham on Thursday

The Foxes remain five points adrift of safety after their 2-0 defeat at the London Stadium

Van Nistelrooy was pleased with the response after the break but it was too little too late

‘Basically the whole first half we were going back instead of putting the opponent under pressure.  

‘Of course it’s the situation you’re in where we don’t have too much results and we’re also in the bottom three. I think we were too passive and too secure in our defensive organisation. ‘We didn’t press the opponent at all. The back line is too deep, the midfield is because of that as well. 

‘The forwards wanted to press but they didn’t have the support. When you look at the second half where we all do it then you have a totally different game but by then you have conceded two.

‘When you sit back and you are passive and you hope your opponent doesn’t score then you call it upon yourself. The easy goals we conceded are a total part of it.’  

‘If we play as passive as we did in the first half you call it upon yourself and these things happen.

However, the Dutchman is by no means throwing in the towel in the relegation battle.

‘Of course we’re going to get up again and we’re still in this fight. Mathematically we’re there and we keep fighting as long as we can but it must be clear that the fight was only one half today and that is not enough.’