West Ham United vs Leeds United. Premier League.
London StadiumAttendance62,478.
Match report and free highlights as goals from Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Manuel Lanzini cancel out Rodrigo's opener; Leeds still two points from safety as West Ham build momentum ahead of Europa Conference League final
Sunday 21 May 2023 23:56, UK
Leeds' Premier League future is hanging by a thread as West Ham came from behind to defeat Sam Allardyce's side 3-1 on his return to the London Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen's second-half finish means Allardyce must record a victory over Tottenham in his final game, but their fate is out of their hands following this damaging setback.
Allardyce said: "Our only challenge now is to beat Tottenham and try to not make the same mistakes we made against Newcastle. Our only hope is that we win our game and see what happens.
"It was always going to be a difficult task. A lot of people say I was mad to take it but I'm not mad. I just love football and Leeds United was too big a job to turn down, however short it was."
The visitors made a bright start and took a deserved lead after 17 minutes when Rodrigo volleyed in a long throw from Weston McKennie. West Ham equalised in the 32nd minute through captain and newly-crowned Hammer of the Year Declan Rice, six years to the day since he made his debut.
David Moyes admitted earlier this month that there is a 'good chance' that Rice will leave West Ham this summer. It has been reported that he could be allowed to move on if the club receive a bid of at least £100m from a Champions League club.
If this proves to be his final home game as a Hammer, Rice ensured he ended on a winning note as Danny Ings found Bowen for his well-taken match winner (72), upheld after an agonising VAR check.
There was still time for Manuel Lanzini to pass in a third in the closing stages following brilliant footwork from Lucas Paqueta to compound their opponent's misery.
The result means Leeds remain in 18th place, two points below Everton, who face Bournemouth in their final game knowing that victory will secure their safety. Meanwhile, West Ham are building momentum ahead of the Europa Conference League final with this third successive home win in all competitions moving them up to 14th place.
Leeds were desperate for all three points in their bid to climb out of the relegation zone and cling on to their top-flight status. They sat third from bottom, two points from safety, with Sunday's trip to the London Stadium followed by a home game against Tottenham on the final day.
Everton's failure to win at Wolves on Saturday ensured West Ham's position in next season's Premier League was mathematically guaranteed. David Moyes' side reached the Europa Conference League final with victory over AZ Alkmaar on Thursday and Allardyce had hoped his former club's success would play to Leeds' advantage.
His side were bright from the first whistle, and Rodrigo might have broken the deadlock sooner than he did when failing to control Patrick Bamford's inviting cross inside five minutes.
Jack Harrison, who scored his first career hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last season, drew a simple save from Lukasz Fabianski but Leeds would convert their encouraging start into a lead. McKennie's long throw was met on the full by Rodrigo for his 13th Premier League goal of the season.
It sparked West Ham into life. Tomas Soucek's close-range shot was saved by the feet of Joel Robles following a series of corners. Rice had a sighter from 25 yards that flew off target but he would not be denied his moment on what could be his final home game as a Hammer.
Bowen was released down the right channel by a delicious Fornals flick and his cross was stood up to the far post for the onrushing Rice to control his shot into the ground and over the scampering Robles.
Bamford was immediately hauled off with a suspected hamstring injury, and West Ham came close to completing the turnaround when a Soucek clearance and cushioned pass by Danny Ings sent Lucas Paqueta on a driving run before Pablo Fornals was picked out but his shot was off target.
Another counter-attack sliced Leeds open moments later, with Fornals this time the provider to set up Emerson only to be denied by Robles. An air shot from Wilfried Gnonto and a looping volley from Paqueta ended an entertaining opening period.
The Brazilian drew a routine stop from the Leeds goalkeeper within five minutes of the restart as West Ham looked to turn the screw. On the hour mark, a Bowen corner was headed into the ground by Soucek to force a fingertip save from Robles.
Midway through the second half as Soucek received treatment, the stoppage allowed the home fans to serenade Rice with chants of "10 more years". He had time to take it in before refocusing his mind.
Moments later, Rice was celebrating as Bowen just about held his run to be played onside by Max Wober's back leg to tuck his shot wide of Robles and into the far corner. The VAR check favoured West Ham - as well as Everton and Leicester. Bowen would be withdrawn to a standing ovation in the final seven minutes as Leeds threw the kitchen sink at an equaliser.
Allardyce went for broke as Sam Greenwood replaced McKennie and within seconds of the tactical switch, Crysencio Summerville was released only for Paqueta to make a vital last-ditch challenge. It would prove a pivotal moment as more dazzling dribbling from the star of the show picked out Lanzini for a simple finish to leave Leeds on the ropes.
West Ham boss David Moyes:
"It was terrific after the week we had. You never quite know how your players will perform after playing on the Thursday but we showed great character and a great mentality. It was a hard-fought one.
"Naming the team wasn't easy as I had to look at how the players were, but we wanted to go as strong as we could. I knew we had the chance to change one or two defenders, but after such a big win, we got back at 3am in the morning on Friday.
"I wondered if the players could get back on it quickly, and apart from the opening 15 minutes, I thought we were really good.
"Declan played very well and he's been playing well all season. He scored a really good goal and he's a very good footballer. When I took over, we thought it was a brilliant season to avoid getting relegated. The next season, we were challenging for Europe.
"We've since gone on to finishing sixth and seventh. The last two years, the levels have been incredible, playing in European competition while coming back on the Sunday and trying to playing in the Premier League.
"We didn't start the season well but we made changes. In some ways, it didn't work how we wanted but in other ways it has as we've got to a final.
"We've beaten Manchester United, come back against Arsenal, beaten Genk so the fans have shown their appreciation for how well the team have performed in this final bit. I hope we can give them something to really shout about in a week or so.
"I had in my head that I would only play Kurt [Zouma] for half the game as I want to protect him. I think Thilo [Kehrer] did well when he came on."
On player of the match Lucas Paqueta, Moyes said: "We're beginning to see someone who can score goals and provide assists. He now looks much more settled. Sometimes, I feel he doesn't need to do it so much but he's got it in his blood. I thought he was exceptionally good today and played a big part in what we did and could've contributed to one or two more goals.
"Lucas is really coming through and showing his quality when we've needed him in this final part of the season."
Leeds boss Sam Allardyce:
"We didn't score enough goals when we were on top and we didn't show enough quality. We knew West Ham would come into the game at some stage and we had to deal with that. We needed to hang in there and wait for the right opportunity to play on the counter attack but we didn't show enough quality in the final third.
"In the second half, it was about hanging in there as a team and hoping for a counter attack or a set piece to perhaps score a goal we wouldn't have deserved. We lacked composure in the final third. We struggled to keep clean sheets for a long period of time. It was going to be hard pushed the way our record is. I knew we'd need more than one goal.
"We had a chance at 2-1 when Cry [Summerville] went through but we couldn't take it. The two critical areas are particularly disappointing for us.
"Both Rodrigo and Patrick [Bamford] are struggling badly and the impact from the subs wasn't there. That gives me an even bigger look at the situation and the squad as a whole because the subs didn't make a difference when we needed them.
"It now depends on the injuries. If both Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford miss out, it is a big ask. We may have to play a completely different system. From a defensive point of view, we need to work on keeping Harry Kane and Son quiet. We had to keep Rodrigo on as we were in the game.
"We couldn't take him off as who could replace him? This club has worked so hard to get back into the Premier League, but I can only try my best.
"When you make substitutions, you want to see an impact in a positive manner. Whether it's the pressure or a lack of confidence, I didn't see that sadly. The bigger failure in the second half was the quality of the final ball. As a manager, your subs are your impact on your team to get better and sadly that's something that didn't work today."
Walking onto the pitch with his nine-month old baby, Rice beamed with pride. He has come a long way since his Hammers debut on this day in 2017 - then aged 18 - as a 91st-minute substitute away at Burnley.
Rice has made the most appearances in all competitions (243) and Premier League (203) for the club since that day, recently becoming the sixth player to play in over 200 top-flight games for West Ham.
Having started out as a centre-back, it was in a 3-1 win at Everton in September 2018 when he was first trialed in midfield. He ran the show that day, and has not looked back.
Now, he is mastering the art of arriving late in the box, witnessed by his well-taken equaliser. Such is his stature, Paqueta was determined to lay on a second goal for his captain in stoppage time. It was a mark of respect, if misjudged in its execution.
Rice led the post-match lap of appreciation to the supporters, visibly emotional. Wherever Rice plays next season, he will always view this place as his home.
Rice told Sky Sports: "I think you look back on Thursday night, you could tell it took its toll on us in the first 15 minutes. We still created chances in those moments but as the game went on, we completely dominated.
"In the end we could have had six or seven. But an all-round great day.
"To be fair, I had a funny feeling I was going to score today. I think it's my best goalscoring season now. I've made a lot of runs into the box, so I've just got to keep on adding that to my game."
The final day of the Premier League season is on May 28 with every game kicking off at 4.30pm. Free match highlights will be published across Sky Sports' digital platforms shortly after full-time.
West Ham end their league season with a trip to Leicester before heading to Prague for the Europa League Conference final against Fiorentina on June 7.
Leeds host Tottenham in their last league outing this season.
