DAVID MOYES GOT his first point on the board as West Ham manager after Cheikhou Kouyate secured a 1-1 draw at home to Leicester City.
As in the former Everton, Manchester United and Sunderland boss’ first game at the helm, West Ham fell behind early – Marc Albrighton capitalising on terribly ragged defending to score his first Premier League goal of the season.
Faced with the prospect of London Stadium turning on them, West Ham grew into the game and were good value for Kouyate’s headed equaliser in the 45th minute.
Leicester boss Claude Puel watched his team make little impression on an increasingly physical contest after the break and was left to reflect on failing to close out victory having led away from home – something they did twice during their last outing on the road at Stoke City earlier this month.
West Ham, who are without a top-flight win since September, remain in the bottom three on goal difference, four points shy of the 2015-16 champions in 11th.
Moyes spoke of a feelgood factor at West Ham’s training ground this week before the game but the notion of rising morale was undermined after only eight minutes.
Pablo Zabaleta was pulled in field to challenge Demarai Gray and Leicester exploited the space in behind the former Manchester City right-back. Jamie Vardy’s low centre was relatively poor but Angelo Ogbonna made a hash of the clearance and Albrighton slid a side-footed finish past Joe Hart.
Ogbonna almost made amends for his error in the midway through the first half when he flicked Manuel Lanzini’s free-kick towards the back post but Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel got down to thwart the danger.
West Ham were bombarding the Leicester box with crosses and Kouyate misjudged a curling delivery from Aaron Cresswell as his header rolled off target before the increasingly threatening Marko Arnautovic forced Danny Simpson into a brave clearance.
Vardy found joy down the left channel again and cut inside Winston Reid to shoot narrowly wide but West Ham drew level just before the break.
Lanzini delivered the hosts’ 20th cross of the first half from a left-wing corner, catching out Schmeichel to the benefit of Kouyate, whose header could only be glanced into his own net by Simpson.
The game resumed after half time in scrappy fashion, although West Ham being in the ascendancy – Moyes finding no reason to desist with peppering the Leicester area – whipped up a fervent atmosphere from the home support.
Leicester’s struggles drew a pragmatic response from Puel, who replaced a by-standing Riyad Mahrez with full-back Ben Chillwell as his side moved closer to a third straight game without a win.
Andre Ayew came on to end a tireless shift from Arnautovic for West Ham and the Ghana forward took a tumble inside the area after being challenged by Harry Maguire in the closing stages.
The Leicester centre-back and referee Martin Atkinson were similarly unimpressed and Ayew was frustrated again in stoppage time when he emerged from a penalty box scramble to hook narrowly over the bar in the last opportunity of note.
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