Craig Dawson took advantage of Leicester’s habitual inability to defend set-pieces by claiming the stoppage-time equaliser that enabled West Ham United to capitalise on their rivals’ slips and move a point ahead in the contest to qualify for the Champions League.
With Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur faltering again, West Ham consolidated fourth place in the Premier League with what was a welcome point considering Leicester had battled back from going behind to Jarrod Bowen’s goal to lead 2-1.
Youri Tieleman’s penalty just before half-time and Ricardo’s Pereira’s first goal in more than two years – the last had also come against West Ham – appeared to have helped Leicester to a much-needed morale-booster before they gave up a winning position for the third time in successive home league games this year. Five of the last seven goals they have conceded in the Premier League have come in the final 10 minutes of matches.
Leicester have conceded from 14 set-pieces (excluding penalties) in the Premier League, the worst record in the division, and despite a much-improved performance, Brendan Rodgers remains a manager whose future – or at least whose team – looks uncertain. Bowen swung over the corner from which Dawson rose to nudge in the equaliser, albeit off an upper arm that invited a VAR check. The introduction of Saïd Benrahma, as a 79th-minute substitute, made a difference as the winger’s proactive attitude earned him three shots at goal, the last one deflecting for the all-important corner.
“The manager made a couple of changes, which helped us out and the lads put a shift in until the end,” Dawson said. “I was slightly worried [about VAR] but it counted so that’s all that matters. It was a fair point for us today.”
West Ham have been less impressive on the road recently, having lost four of their previous seven Premier League away games, but this will go down as a point gained. Kurt Zouma withdrew shortly before the game – with illness cited – but quite how such a straightforward clipped pass from Issa Diop, Zouma’s replacement, could bypass all of Leicester’s defence in the 10th minute and allow Bowen a clear run down the inside-left channel beggars belief.
West Ham’s go-to man showed no hesitation as he shot across Kasper Schmeichel into the far bottom corner for his seventh goal in as many games. Bowen, the matchwinner against Watford on Tuesday, has been involved in 15 goals in his 25 Premier League games this season and his movement from the centre circle to the inside-left channel was enough to beguile Leicester.
The home team at this stage were diffident, unsurprisingly after a run of six defeats in the previous 12 games, especially the previous Sunday’s FA Cup humbling by Nottingham Forest. That had led Rodgers to castigate his players for their lack of hunger and to drop some of his bigger names such as Tielemans, Harvey Barnes and Caglar Soyuncu for Thursday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool. Here they were all recalled but Leicester’s winter of discontent, with Jamie Vardy, Wes Fofana and Jonny Evans still among those injured, took another icy blow when James Justin, who has been so impressive since returning from 11 months out with a serious knee injury, went off with a hamstring injury.
James Maddison, playing in a more advanced wide role as Rodgers endeavoured to stiffen up his midfield, put in a couple of meaty challenges as he attempted to help Leicester battle their way back into the game and, with the crowd raising their game in response, Leicester equalised from a penalty. Maddison’s corner struck Aaron Cresswell’s outstretched elbow and Tielemans slammed in the ensuing penalty to his usual side, the goalkeeper’s right.
The atmosphere cranked up as the rain teemed down and when Barnes went slaloming past Vladimir Coufal and crossed low to the far post, Patson Daka came sliding in to miss the converting contact by inches.
Finally the Foxes had their tails up again and they took the lead 12 minutes into the second half. Tielemans switched play from the right to Barnes on the far side of the penalty area and the winger’s cross invited Pereira, on his first league start for three months after a gradual rehabilitation from a broken leg, to climb above Cresswell and head in to the top corner. But, just as West Ham never know when they are done, as Kidderminster Harriers would testify, so Leicester can never be sure that they have won.
“We have had a few of them lately, [and it is] deflating for the players,” Rodgers admitted. “Second half was like watching us of old, [with the] speed of the game and chances.Unfortunately the last few games we have conceded late here. I was much happier with the mentality and intensity of the team, especially in the second half.”
