Leicester City 0-2 West Ham: Hammers Secure Vital Three Points With Impressive Display Against Foxes
Goals from Joao Mario and Mark Noble were enough for West Ham to earn all three points against Leicester City in a game they dominated for large spells. Mario gave the visitors the lead in the first half before a stunning Noble volley after half time eased relegation fears for David Moyes' side.
With West Ham in desperate need of the points, the visitors made a bright start at the King Power Stadium. Manuel Lanzini looked lively, seeing a pair of goal-bound attempts blocked firstly by Yohan Benalouane, while Marko Arnautovic failed to get out the way of his teammates strike minutes later.
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Claude Puel's side looked well off the pace throughout the first half as chances continued to fall for the Hammers. Arnautovic was unlucky to be denied twice in the space of a couple of minutes by initially Ben Hamer, before seeing an effort strike the bar after picking up the second ball from a long free kick.
Arnautovic however wouldn't be kept quiet for long, playing a crucial part in the opening goal of the game. Doing well to keep Arthur Masuaku's deep cross alive, the Austrian managed to play the ball back to an unmarked Joao Mario, who had the simple task of scoring his second goal for the club from six yards out, giving West Ham a precious lead heading into half time.
Leicester began the second half with more impetus than they exhibited in the entirety of the first period. A long ball gave Jamie Vardy the chance use his pace, putting a covering Aaron Creswell under pressure, and was perhaps fortunate to only see yellow after seeming to handle the ball whilst falling as Vardy looked to be through on goal.
David Moyes' side however always looked a threat on the counter and wasted a golden opportunity to double their lead. Arnautovic saw two attempts blocked in a matter of seconds by youngster Hamza Choudhury and Christian Fuchs, with Lanzini and Mario screaming for the ball to be centred.
The game now had an end-to-end feel as Leicester went close just past the hour with a Harry Maguire half-volley, before a stunning strike from Mark Noble gave the Hammers some breathing space. Taking on the volley from all of 25 yards after the ball fell to him from a free kick, firing his shot into Hamer's bottom right off the post to double their lead.
Taking until the 86th minute before Leicester registered their first shot on target, a volley from Adrian Silva that Adrian routinely dealt with, before being alert to deny a Benalouane header two minutes later, although it appeared to be too little too late from the hosts.
An Arnautovic-inspired West Ham were good value for their lead after dominating for the majority of the encounter, and managed to see out the remainder of the game to earn a vital three points and all-but confirm their Premier League status for another season.
