Jesse Lingard continued his remarkable scoring run as West Ham narrowly resisted a late Leicester fightback in a key clash between Champions League hopefuls.
The England midfielder was in excellent form once again at the London Stadium, notching the eighth and ninth goals respectively of his prolific loan stint from Manchester United in the first half as David Moyes’ side leapfrogged Liverpool and Chelsea back into fourth spot in the Premier League, just one point behind the Foxes.
Jarrod Bowen coolly finished West Ham’s third just after the interval, with the hosts belying the absences of injured key duo Declan Rice and Michail Antonio to produce a vital win in the crowded battle for a top-four finish.
However, they once again came close to frittering away a 3-0 lead, with Arthur Masuaku’s error allowing Kelechi Iheanacho to rifle home a lifeline for Leicester with 20 minutes remaining.
Iheanacho struck again in the early stages of six minutes of second-half stoppage time to tee up a grandstand finish, with West Ham just about holding on as Wesley Fofana headed a great chance wide with the last touch of the game.
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