Stoppage-time Barnes equaliser rescues Leicester point at West Ham

A late goal by substitute Harvey Barnes ensured Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester shared the spoils with West Ham at the London Stadium.

Goals from Michail Antonio and Lucas Perez either side of a Jamie Vardy equaliser looked to have given the Hammers all three points before Barnes’ first City goal ensured the game finished 2-2.

The hosts started brightly but Leicester had the first real chance of the afternoon, James Maddison stinging the palms of Lukasz Fabianski early on.

A succession of corners put the Hammers on the front foot as Robert Snodgrass attempted to utilise his usually reliable dead-ball delivery.

The match-up between these two had the ingredients for a high-scoring encounter with both teams keen to adopt an attacking approach when in possession.

Kasper Schmeichel had to deal with a dangerous Snodgrass cross before Marc Albrighton, who was making his first Leicester start since January, just evaded the on-rushing Jamie Vardy with a delivery at the other end.

West Ham then had a great chance to take the lead on 25 minutes. After combination play between Pablo Zabaleta and Marko Arnautovic resulted in the Austrian firing a volleyed cross in, Michail Antonio failed to adjust his body and convert at the far post under pressure from Ricardo Pereira.

A Felipe Anderson effort was inadvertently deflected off Michail Antonio after sloppy play from Youri Tielemans as Manuel Pellegrini’s Hammers looked to secure a half-time lead.

That goal came on 37 minutes. Snodgrass and Mark Noble exchanged passes before the West Ham skipper whipped a delightful ball in for Antonio to meet and header past Schmeichel into the far corner. The 29-year-old had been frustrated for large amounts of the half but stayed patient to fire the home side into the lead, before celebrating with West Ham’s new claret carpet.

On the balance of play, the scoreline resembled West Ham’s superior possession and chances as Pellegrini went in the happier man at half-time. His counterpart Brendan Rodgers knowing there was plenty of work to be done in the second half.

The Foxes started the second half with greater purpose to their play, the hosts now content to take the role of counter-attackers.

Like Snodgrass for West Ham, Albrighton provided Leicester with a consistent delivery into the box, much of their attacks coming down the former Aston Villa winger’s flank.

Albrighton departed soon after for Harvey Barnes as Leicester worked towards converting possession into clear-cut chances. The energetic Ben Chilwell burst through several defenders and into the opposition area only for his touch to let him down, his lack of composure the story of Leicester’s play so far.

That narrative was to change five minutes later however, as Chilwell found Vardy for the equaliser. After sustained waves of attacks, the Foxes worked the ball out to the left-hand side for England international Chilwell to cross early looking for fellow compatriot Vardy, who got in-front of Fabian Balbuena to poke the ball home at the near post.

The game sparked into life after the goal as chances at both ends failed to be taken. Space also began to appear for the flair players on both sides, Maddison and Anderson creating openings as the final fifteen minutes approached.

The home fans were cheering soon after as West Ham regained the lead on 81 minutes. Firstly, an Anderson lay-off fed substitute Pedro Obiang to strike. The midfielder obliged by curling a low effort onto the post before fellow sub Lucas Perez followed up to tap home, with the Leicester defence left standing waiting for the offside flag which never came.

Chances for Chilwell and Kelechi Iheanacho came and passed for the Foxes as West Ham look to have claimed the win.

That was until a sublime pass from on-loan midfielder Youri Tielemans. The young Belgian expertly cut open the West Ham defence to release Harvey Barnes, who coolly slid the ball past Fabianski to snatch a point at the death.

West Ham stay 11th with the point whilst Leicester fall to eighth.

Referee: Lee Probert

Attendance: 59,960

West Ham United XI: Fabianski (GK), Balbuena, Zabaleta, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Rice, Noble (C) (Wilshere, 83) Antonio, Snodgrass, (Obiang, 73), Anderson, Arnautovic (Perez, 78)

West Ham unused substitutes: Adrian (GK), Diop, Fredericks, Diangana

Leicester City XI: Schmeichel (GK) (C), Chilwell, Evans, Maguire, Pereira, Ndidi, Tielemans (Mendy, 90+4) Albrighton (Barnes, 64) Gray (Iheanacho, 83), Maddison, Vardy

Leicester City unused substitutes: Ward (GK), Söyüncü, Fuchs, Okazaki

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