Leeds United wasted their chance to control their own destiny in a horrible, pitiful way. There was no urgency throughout a dreadful second half, no resistance and no attempt to stop the day from concluding in another celebration for West Ham as Lucas Paqueta glided past a feeble challenge from Rasmus Kristensen to allow Manuel Lanzini the chance to kill any thoughts of a stunning comeback.
Lanzini’s goal put an energetic West Ham display to a close, leaving Leeds with the odour of relegation. Sam Allardyce erupted for the entirety of the second half; at one point, the arch survivist even spit out his chewing gum and kicked it away in rage. After the game, he talked with an air of despondency.
While there has been some talk about leaving nothing to chance when Tottenham comes to Elland Road on the final day, Allardyce, 68, was nearly raising the white flag when he turned his attention to how to reorganise his attack after losing Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo to injury here. Allardyce has earned just one point since taking over for Javi Gracia last month.
What made Allardyce angry was that his team had shown none of the tenacity that had earned Everton a critical point at Wolves on Saturday. Rodrigo gave Leeds the lead in the 17th minute, and a victory would have lifted them out of the bottom three. However, recognised defects soon set in.
David Moyes’ future looks secured after this crucial victory
Undoubtedly, West Ham struggled to get going. It didn’t take long for Rice to start pleading with his colleagues to get up. They were being exposed by straightforward passes over the top, and it was a miracle they didn’t give up when Rodrigo misjudged Bamford’s cross. Additionally, Leeds came close when Jack Harrison volleyed at Lukasz Fabianski for Leeds.
The only two substitutions made by Allardyce were the tenacious Adam Forshaw in place of Sam Greenwood in the middle of the pitch and Pascal Struijk at left back in place of the suspended Junior Firpo.
The goal’s setting couldn’t have been more Allardycian: Weston McKennie’s long throw, a crowd of people in the West Ham area. Start the conflict. Both teams’ players leaped for the header, but no one caught it. Rodrigo sent a shot past Fabianski while fending against Angelo Ogbonna.
Could there possibly be a quicker way to the goal than a throw-in or volley? West Ham was hurt by the humiliation, especially considering how they had lost to Brentford the previous weekend in a similar manner. They started to play, cautious of Moyes’ potential rollocking. Tomas Soucek was rejected by Joel Robles.
Leeds United outnumbered in the later stages of the fixture
Leeds started to feel the pressure. West Ham quickly put together a beautiful manoeuvre. After receiving a pass from Bowen, Pablo Fornals came up with the brilliant idea. Rice marked the sixth anniversary of his professional debut by tying the score with a calm finish at the far post. Rice, West Ham’s goal scorer in Alkmaar, floated a wonderful pass over Struijk, and Bowen hoisted the ball over for Rice.
Since Rice, then 18 years old, came in as a substitute in a victory over Burnley in 2017, a lot has changed. This may have been the midfielder’s final home game for West Ham because he will probably leave in the summer. But nobody can say that Rice let his attention wander.
Leeds started to feel anxious. After the equaliser, Wilfried Gnonto replaced Bamford, and Allardyce looked away in annoyance after Harrison failed to make up for a mistake by Kurt Zouma shortly before halftime.
During the break, West Ham switched Zouma for Thilo Kehrer, and the team appeared more confident. Danny Ings, Soucek, and Paquetá all had opportunities. West Ham was rewarded for their superiority as Bowen beat Robles with a lovely finish following an excellent feed from Ings. Leeds were unable to muster any momentum.
Leeds had their just desserts. Allardyce lambasted Brendan Aaronson, Gnonto, and Crysencio Summerville for doing nothing after entering the game. After a brief protest, Emerson rejected Summerville. However, it was too late and it will probably be the theme of Leeds’s season. When Paquetá put Lanzini on, they felt their stomachs drop.
