A rather tame opening period saw little in the way of goalmouth action as the visitors threatened on occasion without troubling Illan Meslier. However, with 27 minutes on the clock, the hosts took the lead with their first effort of the game when Wilfried Gnonto played a smart one-two with Crysencio Summerville, before striking cleanly beyond Łukasz Fabiański to net his first goal for Leeds. With their tails now up, Jesse Marsch’s side pushed for another, but a VAR-recommended penalty on the stroke of HT levelled the scoreline. Pascal Struijk’s foul on Jarrod Bowen presented Lucas Paquetá with the chance to bag his first West Ham goal, which he duly took, lifting a spot-kick beyond Meslier’s reach.
Leeds had gone on to lose three PL games after opening the scoring this season, and within two minutes of the restart, a fourth such loss looked on the cards. A misplaced Brenden Aaronson pass allowed Gianluca Scamacca to shoot low from range, catching the Yorkshire side cold and turning the game on its head. A rash challenge from Summerville saw him escape with a yellow and forced Marsch into substituting him shortly after. His replacement, Jack Harrison, had an immediate impact, teeing up Rodrigo, who marked his 100th Leeds appearance by firing in his 10th league goal of the campaign to level proceedings.
Neither side appeared content to settle for a point, and with little over 10 minutes to play, Rodrigo couldn’t make the most of an inch-perfect Harrison through-ball. Liam Cooper had the chance to steal all three points, but after heading onto the post, the hosts’ captain blazed over on the follow-up. Ultimately, both sides were forced to settle for a point apiece. Despite halting an alarming losing streak, the Hammers remain embroiled in a relegation scrap, with just goal difference keeping them afloat, while Leeds sit 14th, two points ahead.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United)
