Bilal El Khannouss delivered a player of the match performance as Leicester City started life under Ruud van Nistelrooy with a win.
The Foxes beat West Ham United to pull themselves four points clear of the relegation zone and drag the Hammers right back into it.
Jamie Vardy got the proceedings underway after one minute and 30 seconds before Leicester dealt with a West Ham onslaught.
Mads Hermansen wowed Leicester fans as he produced save after save to keep them at bay.
El Khannouss doubled the hosts’ lead in the second half with some neat football that saw him add to the assist he provided for Vardy, as well as score his first Premier League goal.
Patson Daka then wrapped up the game with his first goal since a return from injury before Niclas Fullkrug added a consolation.
Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss applauds his side's supporters at the end of the match during the Premier League match between Leicester City F...
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
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Bilal El Khannouss inspired by teammates’ socks in Leicester win
On a night where many Leicester players impressed, it was El Khannouss who took the plaudits.
The young Moroccan was involved in two of Leicester’s three goals and would’ve stayed on had he not picked up a knock towards the end.
After the game, the midfielder posted to Instagram a picture of him with socks that belonged to Jamie Vardy, alongside the caption: “A night I’ll never forget. PS: Jamie’s socks did the trick,” followed by a laughing emoji.
Vardy replied underneath the post with an eyes and laughing emoji and told the media that his teammate would have to wear them every week.
Bilal El Khannouss (20) was wearing Jamie Vardy socks tonight for Leicester 😂🏴…
Jamie Vardy said he will have to wear them every week after the youngster bagged his first Prem league goal in them 👏🏽🧦 pic.twitter.com/I5I3sXIGqy
— Rising Ballers (@RisingBallers_) December 3, 2024
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Bilal El Khannouss shines for Leicester in West Ham victory
El Khannouss was exceptional on a cold Tuesday night at the King Power Stadium.
Van Nistelrooy singled out El Khannouss for his performance and it was easy to see why.
Across the 74 minutes on the pitch, the 20-year-old was influential in both an attacking and defensive sense.
Minutes Played 74
Goals 1
Assists 1
Key Passes 4
Accurate Passes 22/28 (79%)
Ground Duels Won 50%
SofaScore Rating 9.3
Bilal El Khannouss stats vs West Ham
To nobody’s surprise, the number 11 was ranked as the best performer by some distance on SofaScore with a rating of 9.3.
Hermansen was the second-best with a score of 7.9, while nearly all of the side scored in the high sevens.
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