Leicester City have ended a rollercoaster 2016 on a high note after Islam Slimani's first-half headed goal gave the Foxes a 1-0 win over West Ham United at the King Power Stadium.
The Algeria international had already struck the post when he nodded home Marc Albrighton's pinpoint cross in the 20th minute of a topsy-turvy game laden with efforts on goal and yellow cards.
Foxes goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel twice denied Dimitri Payet with fine saves and also kept out Aaron Cresswell's deflected free kick, while Michail Antonio hammered a shot against the Leicester bar.
The result means that the Foxes climb to 15th in the Premier League table, six points clear of the bottom three, while the Hammers slip to 13th place.
Here is how Sports Mole covered the action in the East Midlands.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the Premier League clash between Leicester City and West Ham United.
So 2016 is almost at an end, but English football, as always, is carrying on as normal despite all the New Year's Eve festivities, resolutions, pledges and so on that will probably be broken three weeks into 2017.
Today's fixture at the King Power Stadium sees the reigning Premier League champions desperate to make up some distance between themselves and the bottom three, but in their way is a team that had relegation worries of their own but have since climbed into mid-table and are targeting a fourth straight win.
Claudio Ranieri's charges were flying high in the league this time last year on their way to an extraordinary title win, but this season is a very different story with the Foxes sitting three points off the drop zone and having won only two of their past 10 games.
As for Slaven Bilic's side, they were in a similar predicament to Leicester just a few weeks ago, but three wins on the trot have edged the Hammers into 11th place, eight points off the bottom three, and could climb as high as eighth should they win today and other results go their way.
Without further ado, let's bring you the team news.
LEICESTER STARTING XI: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Chilwell, Mahrez, Drinkwater, Amartey, Albrighton, Slimani, Gray
WEST HAM STARTING XI: Randolph, Nordtveit, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Noble, Kouyate, Antonio, Ayew, Payet, Carroll
LEICESTER SUBS: Musa, King, Okazaki, Zieler, Ulloa, Mendy, Fuchs
WEST HAM SUBS: Feghouli, Lanzini, Adrian, Obiang, Fletcher, Fernandes, Quina
Claudio Ranieri makes three changes to his starting XI from the side beaten 2-0 by Everton on Boxing Day, with Robert Huth, Danny Drinkwater and Riyad Mahrez returning to the fold. The players who make way are Marcin Wasilewski (who drops out of the squad), Andy King and Shinji Okazaki (who make the subs' bench).
As for the Hammers, Slaven Bilic keeps faith with the side that hammered Swansea City 4-1 on December 26, and no changes to the starting XI are made. Pedro Obiang is back from suspension but he has been named among the substitutes at the King Power Stadium.
As unbelievable as it was for Leicester to win the Premier League last season, not to mention reaching the Champions League knockout stages in the current campaign, Foxes fans will be more than a little anxious to find themselves in a relegation scrap right now - obviously challenging for the title a second year on the trot might have been too much of an ask, but as it stands they are in trouble.
Claudio Ranieri's side have now won just one of their last nine Premier League games and the champions could end 2016 dangerously close to the relegation zone if they slip to defeat against an in-form West Ham.
Slaven Bilic had this to say about his opponents today: "From last season, the only way was down. It was not a miracle, but it was a big achievement for them, one of the biggest in football history so it was difficult, especially for the manager, to maintain that level."
"The Champions League didn't help, definitely. They did tremendously well in the Champions League. In the Premier League, okay they didn't do well but they are now in a position that they are not happy about it. But there's still a long way to go."
Ranieri, ever the realist, is not content with celebrating an incredible year for his side when they are struggling right now. He told reporters: "I forgot 2016 already. My mind is on 31 December against West Ham. That is my life and I hope my players follow me in this way. Everything is in the past, it is the future that is important now."
Despite their domestic woes, there is still a lot of goodwill between board and fans at Leicester, as the New Year's Eve festivities get underway early at the KP.
FREE BEER: #lcfc fans seem to be enjoying the 🍺 courtesy of our Chairman today! Thank you for your fantastic support. #LeiWhu pic.twitter.com/4HHGJRrlwh — Leicester City (@LCFC) 31 December 2016
West Ham fans, meanwhile, have certainly received a great Christmas present in terms of their club's standings. Rewind back to the start of the month and they had been thrashed 5-1 by Arsenal at the London Stadium, leaving them 17th in the table and one point above the dreaded drop zone.
It was very much doom and gloom, but then West Ham claimed a very good point at Anfield against Liverpool, before beating Burnley, Hull City and Swansea City to extinguish most of the anxiety around the club.
The Hammers now have a very good chance to finish 2016 in the top ten as they come up against a side very much out of form that, despite being Premier League champions, have lost their sheen quite a while ago and are seemingly very beatable.
HEAD TO HEAD: Leicester are unbeaten in the last four league and cup meetings against West Ham, their best run against them since 1977.
The Foxes needed a controversial stoppage-time penalty, scored by Leonardo Ulloa, to rescue a point in the corresponding fixture in April, which ended 2-2 and kept alive their title hopes.
West Ham's only Premier League victory at Leicester in the last seven attempts was by a 3-1 scoreline in January 2000, with three draws and three defeats thereafter.
West Ham last failed to score against Leicester in a league match in August 2004, in the Championship.
West Ham have beaten the reigning Premier League champions only once in an away match, beating Manchester United 1-0 in December 2001. The stats stand at one win, one draw, and 18 defeats.
PREDICTION TIME: So then, time for my last score prediction of 2016. Leicester are missing Jamie Vardy and are in poor form, while the Hammers are flying high and looking for a fourth consecutive win. The pressure is all on the home side today, and so I predict a 2-0 win for the visitors.
The only reigning English champions to be relegated from the top flight were Manchester City in 1937-38 - could Leicester find themselves in the same predicament come the end of the season? Let's see how they get on today - kickoff is just five minutes away.
Here they come! Wes Morgan and Mark Noble lead Leicester and West Ham out of the tunnel and onto the pitch at the King Power.
KICKOFF! West Ham get the action underway in Leicester.
West Ham with the early pressure as Antonio looks to get in behind Chilwell on the right flank, but the left-back does well to contain his opponent before clearing.
CHANCE! Early on and we already have a gilt-edged chance which comes the way of Leicester as Mahrez takes a touch and thunders a shot at goal after a Gray flick, but Randolph palms the ball over the top - great save.
CHANCE! Great start from Leicester! Albrighton breaks down the right on the overlap and curls the ball towards the far post where Slimani is waiting and he connects with a header that crashes onto the upright, before Chilwell's follow-up is blocked.
West Ham win a free kick right on the edge of the Foxes box after Huth clatters into Antonio, which Payet takes. The ball falls for Cresswell, who fires a volley towards goal, but it ultimately goes out for a corner after a pinball in the area.
CHANCE! Cresswell whips a cross into the box from the left and Antonio meets it at the far post, but he balloons the ball over the bar.
The action seems to have gone down a gear following a frantic start, with seven shots in the first quarter of an hour.
Or maybe not as Leicester step it up once again, with Gray whipping in a cross from the left which Reid clears, before Slimani, Gray and Mahrez combine skilfully to set the latter up to curl the ball into the box, but it's once again cut out by the New Zealander.
Gray does well once again down the left flank after receiving the ball from Chilwell, curling a cross into the box which is slightly too high for Mahrez, but Albrighton picks it up on the right and wins a corner for the Foxes.
GOAL! LEICESTER 1-0 WEST HAM (ISLAM SLIMANI)
And following their bright start, Leicester take the lead - and it had been coming. Albrighton curls a pinpoint cross into the box and towards Slimani, who loses Reid and slams a header past Randolph and into the far corner of the goal.
CHANCE! The Hammers nearly concede again as Ogbonna deflects Gray's cross towards goal, but Randolph pulls off a reflex save.
CHANCE! End to end stuff as West Ham counter through Antonio, who sees a shot blocked before Payet's volley hits Ayew and flies over.
West Ham seem to be finding their feet now as they threaten again through Payet, who is in the right place to collect an Antonio layoff but hesitates just a bit too long, leading to Albrighton putting a stop to the move.
15 - Islam Slimani has scored 15 of his 33 league goals since the start of 2015-16 from headers (45%). Bombardment. pic.twitter.com/Mt6bKFyEWu — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) 31 December 2016
Antonio bursts past Chilwell on the right and floats the ball to the far post where Carroll tries to get on the end of it, but Morgan and Huth manage to clear their lines.
West Ham win a free kick 25 yards from in a great position after Amartey nudges Payet off the ball, the Frenchman opting to take the set piece himself, but he strikes the Leicester wall with his effort and it comes to nothing.
CHANCES! Backs to the wall for the Foxes as the Hammers come knocking, Antonio attempting to let rip with an effort but being thwarted by a Simpson tackle before the ball ricochets in the box and Ayew just cannot fire home the rebound due to a wall of bodies in the way.
CHANCES! It's all gone a bit loco here with chance after chance threatening to go in! First Antonio swivels in the box and volleys a powerful shot against the crossbar, then at the other end Nordtveit is forced into a great recovering challenge to prevent Slimani from making it two!
CHANCE! Huth then clatters into Payet on the edge of the Leicester area to gift West Ham a free kick, with the German booked for his robust challenge, then the Frenchman stands behind the ball and strikes it low, but Schmeichel gets down to keep the effort out.
CHANCE! Ogbonna cynically trips Gray to earn himself a yellow card and gift Leicester a free kick, Mahrez takes and it's kept out at full stretch by Randolph!
HALF TIME: LEICESTER 1-0 WEST HAM
Think I need to catch my breath after that! A pulsating first half of football comes to an end and Leicester are a goal up against West Ham, though we could easily be talking about four or five goals between the two sides at this stage.
It's been end to end, with both sides having dominant spells, while chances have been coming thick and fast. Ultimately there is just the one goal in it, which came from Islam Slimani nodding home Marc Albrighton's cross.
We've had 22 shots in the first half. That's right, twenty-two - eight for Leicester and 14 for the Hammers. Six of these - three apiece - were on target. This should be fairly high up on Match of the Day tonight (yep, it's on apparently despite it being New Year's Eve!).
Will Leicester end the year on a high with victory today, will West Ham rally round to make it four PL wins on the trot, or will it be New Year honours even for these two? The second half gets underway shortly.
KICKOFF: Leicester get the second half underway at the King Power Stadium.
BOOKING: Moments after Payet tries his luck from long range, to no avail, Amartey clatters into Noble with a high challenge and earns himself a yellow for his troubles - Noble remains down.
Noble manages to get up and return to action, but he does not look like he will be able to continue for much longer.
The stoppage in play has stopped either side from getting into gear, and it's been a slow start to the half so far.
West Ham are settling into the game more now as they enjoy a decent spell of possession before Payet's cross is put behind for a corner, but Leicester deal with the set piece with ease.
SUBSTITUTION: As predicted, Mark Noble cannot continue following that crunching tackle by Daniel Amartey, and Manuel Lanzini comes on for his 50th Hammers appearance.
CHANCE! The sub makes an immediate impact as he picks out Carroll, who controls inside the area and tries to go for goal, but Huth gets a great challenge in to turn the ball out for a corner.
Morgan's clever touch tees up Huth in the box but, as the German shifts the ball onto his right foot, it's charged down by the opposition.
SUBSTITUTION: Second change of the afternoon for West Ham as Sofiane Feghouli replaces Andre Ayew.
CHANCE! Albrighton is booked for a foul on the edge of the Leicester area, Cresswell takes the resulting free kick and curls the ball towards goal, Chilwell deflects the shot which almost puts it out of the reach of Schmeichel, but the stopper gets down low to his left and keeps it out.
SUBSTITUTION: Claudio Ranieri has defence on his mind as he takes off Riyad Mahrez and brings on Christian Fuchs.
BOOKINGS: One for each side as Nordtveit catches Chilwell high with a boot to the chest, earning himself a yellow, before Schmeichel remonstrates with the referee for showing the Hammer a caution instead of a red card.
Quarter of an hour to go at the King Power and Leicester are still in the lead although they are being bossed on the pitch by West Ham, who for all their possession are yet to create a clear opening.
Antonio goes to ground under a purported challenge from Huth and calls for a penalty, but nothing is given. Looked very much like a dive.
SUBSTITUTIONS: One apiece as Edimilson Fernandes replaces Cheikhou Kouyate for the Hammers, before Shinji Okazaki replaces Demarai Gray for Leicester.
SUBSTITUTION: That's it now for subs in this match as Leicester make their third and final change, Islam Slimani making way for Leonardo Ulloa.
BOOKING: Simpson becomes the fifth Foxes player to receive a booking after he bundles Antonio to the turf before kicking the ball away in frustration.
BOOKING: More yellow card action as Leicester break and Lanzini is penalised for a cynical foul on Amartey.
CHANCE! Leicester fans must have very little left in the way of fingernails as Carroll nearly heads West Ham level, but his effort drifts a yard wide of the left-hand post.
Leicester are holding the ball deep in West Ham territory - not long now for them to hold out, and their reward would be three crucial points and a first clean sheet in 12 Premier League games.
CHANCE! A strong finish from Leicester who nearly double their lead as Chilwell picks up the ball on the edge of the area and sees his attempt blocked by Randolph before Ozakaki heads the rebound onto the roof of the net.
There will be a minimum of SIX minutes of added time played here at the King Power Stadium.
CHANCE! Close from West Ham as a Payet corner falls to Ogbonna, but Amartey is on hand to throw his body in the way of the Italian's free header!
FULL TIME: LEICESTER 1-0 WEST HAM
And so Leicester City end a rollercoaster of a year on a relatively high note as they claim a 1-0 win against West Ham, with Islam Slimani's first-half header settling a topsy-turvy game at the King Power Stadium.
The result means that the Foxes climb to 15th in the table, six points clear of the bottom three, while the Hammers slip to 13th place.
Well folks, that's all we've got time for here in the East Midlands but stay with Sports Mole as we bring you match reports, manager reaction and all the latest news from the world of football! Thanks for following and we hope you enjoy a wonderful New Year's Eve. Until next time, goodbye.
Written by
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte
