Soccer

Premier League round-up: Paul Lambert makes the perfect start at Stoke

Meanwhile Leicester saw off Watford, while West Ham were held by Bournemouth

Stoke manager Paul Lambert celebrates during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Huddersfield Town at Bet365 Stadium. Photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Sat Jan 20 2018 - 17:15

Leicester City 2 Watford 0

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez fired Leicester to a routine 2-0 win over Watford as Claude Puel’s powers of recovery continued.

Winger Mahrez — linked with a January move — maintained his fine form with a third goal in six games after Vardy’s first-half penalty put the Foxes ahead.

Leicester moved up to seventh in the Premier League while Watford’s struggles continued with Marco Silva’s side having won just once in 11 games.

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The Foxes still needed a fine Harry Maguire block on Andre Gray to clinch victory but boss Puel has now lost just four of his 18 games in charge.

He took over in October, as Leicester’s third manager of 2017, after Craig Shakespeare was sacked while the club were in the bottom three.

The Hornets are 10th but they are just four points above the relegation zone.

Stoke City 2 Huddersfield Town 0

Paul Lambert made a winning start as Stoke manager as a 2-0 home victory against Huddersfield saw them climb out of the relegation zone.

Lambert had only had this week to work with his players but he had visibly lifted them and on Saturday Stoke did not look like a team who had been beaten on eight of their last 11 Premier League outings.

Roared on by a crowd fuelled with optimism, Stoke started brightly but they had to wait until the second half for the goals to come as Joe Allen and then Mame Diouf got their names on the score sheet.

Lambert watched the 3-0 defeat at Manchester United from the stands and he made four changes from the team that started on Monday night. Ryan Shawcross and Erik Pieters made their returns from injury while Charlie Adam and Diouf were also recalled.

New signing Kostas Stafylidis was not involved while Peter Crouch was one of the players to drop down to the bench, amid speculation that Chelsea are interested in signing the big striker.

West Ham United 1 AFC Bournemouth 1

Javier Hernandez scored his first goal since October as West Ham and Bournemouth drew 1-1 at the London Stadium.

Asmir Begovic denied Marko Arnautovic from point-blank range after 14 minutes and Bournemouth took the lead against the run of play through Ryan Fraser after 71 minutes.

The Hammers equalised immediately, as substitute Hernandez pounced to extend their unbeaten run to seven games. Bournemouth are now unbeaten in five in the league.

However, worryingly for David Moyes’ men, playmaker Manuel Lanzini went off with a knock in the second half and it is a year since West Ham last won successive Premier League games.

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