Ruud van Nistelrooy singled out Morocco international Bilal El Khannouss for praise after his first Premier League goal helped give the new Leicester City boss a dream start at The King Power Stadium.
The Dutch coach was in the Foxes dugout for the first time on Tuesday night after replacing the sacked Steve Cooper, and saw an immediate improvement as they swept aside West Ham United 3-1 in front of a delighted home crowd.
On a night of firsts, El Khannouss broke his duck in his ninth Premier League appearance following a £21 million move from Genk in the summer. The 20-year-old had already assisted Jamie Vardy's second-minute opener and was a thorn in the side of the Hammers all night.
El Khannouss has been a slow burner in English football but looks to be building on the pedigree that saw him win the Belgian Pro League's Young Player of the Season award in 2023-24, and help Morocco win bronze at the Paris Olympics. His new manager was certainly impressed.
“It was a great performance [from El Khannouss],” said Van Nistelrooy, who beat Leicester twice during a short caretaker spell in charge of Manchester United last month.
“He started off the left and linked up with [left back] Victor [Kristiansen] and played Jamie [Vardy] in. He played in the second half as more of a No 10 that’s where he joined in the break. [He has] those characteristics of winning the duels from a defensive block to get our players in.
“On a long-term basis we know the performances need to get better,” Van Nistelrooy added. “But the spirit and how we want to do things we saw today because, if not, the Premier League is too brutal.”
El Khannouss showed his quality early on as he slipped in Vardy to open the scoring. He then raced clear to bury a clinical low finish on the hour to make it 2-0. Patson Daka added a third in injury time before Niclas Fullkrug pulled one back.
The result heaped more pressure on West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui who has struggled to make his mark at the London Stadium following his summer appointment. His side have 15 points from 14 games, while this much-needed win lifted Leicester on to 13 points.
“A frustrating night because we deserved much more today,” said Lopetegui. “Normally we have to win this match but we didn't because we didn't score.”
More Premier League minutes for Iraq's Al Hamadi
Iraq international Ali Al Hamadi came on as a 79th minute substitute but could not help stave off defeat as Ipswich Town suffered a 1-0 home loss to Crystal Palace.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal at Portman Road as Palace won the battle of two sides at the bottom end of the table.
The Frenchman produced a classy finish from Eberechi Eze's pass on the hour mark to secure the Eagles' first away win of the season.
Palace pull three points clear of the bottom three, while Ipswich remain second from bottom and winless at home on their return to the top flight.
Back in August Al Hamadi, 22, made history when he became the first Iraqi to play in the Premier League after he came on as a substitute in a 2-0 defeat to a Mohamed Salah-inspired Liverpool. That game would have been extra special for Al Hamadi who grew up in Liverpool having fled Iraq with his parents as an infant.
He had trials at both Liverpool and Everton before joining Tranmere Rovers and then moving to Swansea City's academy.
From there he signed professional terms at Wycombe Wanderers before a move to AFC Wimbledon ignited his career. A return of 27 goals in 48 games for the Dons caught the eye of Ipswich who paid around £1 million to sign him last January. Al Hamadi has three goals in 14 international appearances for Iraq.
So far this season he has been used as an impact substitute, coming off the bench in games against Liverpool, Manchester City, Fulham, Manchester United and Palace. He scored on his only start of the campaign during a League Cup second round match against his former club AFC Wimbledon.
Formula One top 10 drivers' standings after Japan
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 306
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 234
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 192
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 148
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 111
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 82
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 65
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 48
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 34
Story of 2017-18 so far and schedule to come
Roll of Honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia rugby season?
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
Fixtures
Friday
West Asia Cup final
5pm, Bahrain (6pm UAE time), Bahrain v Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy final
3pm, The Sevens, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Sports City Eagles
Friday, April 13
UAE Premiership final
5pm, Al Ain, Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Brief scores:
Toss: Australia, chose to bat
Australia: 272-9 (50 ov)
Khawaja 100, Handscomb 52; Bhuvneshwar 3-48
India: 237 (50 ov)
Rohit 56, Bhuvneshwar 46; Zampa 3-46
Player of the Match: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
Player of the Series: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Gunn%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Pratt%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Dave%20Bautista%2C%20Vin%20Diesel%2C%20Bradley%20Cooper%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Bayern Munich 0 AC Milan 4
Milan: Kessie (14'), Cutrone (25', 43'), Calhanoglu (85')
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
57%20Seconds
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
