Mark Noble’s spectacular second-half volley ensured West Ham’s Premier League survival with a 2-0 victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The win, coupled with Southampton’s late equaliser at Everton, lifted the Hammers five points clear of the relegation zone.
João Mário opened the scoring in the 34th minute, turning in Marko Arnautovic’s pull-back after a deep cross from Arthur Masuaku. Leicester, missing nine players through injury, struggled to create chances and mustered little response until Noble’s 25-yard strike swerved into the bottom corner to seal the win.
The defeat heaped further pressure on Leicester manager Claude Puel, whose side have won only four of their last 19 games. Home fans chanted against the Frenchman and ironically cheered a Christian Fuchs long-range shot in the 86th minute. The stadium was largely empty for Leicester’s end-of-season lap of appreciation.
West Ham manager David Moyes praised his team’s performance, saying: “I’m really pleased with the performance, especially in the first half. The result was what mattered.” The victory ended a traumatic season for the Hammers, who had been without an orthodox striker but controlled the game through midfielders Manuel Lanzini and João Mário.
