Post Match Comments
Audio Match ReportSaturday 23rd August 2000
FA PREMIER LEAGUE
Upton Park
Attendance: 25,195
Referee: R StylesWEST HAM0 LEICESTER 1Eadie 55HISLOP S PEARCE STIMAC FERDINAND WINTERBURN MARGAS LOMAS KANOUTE SUKER DI CANIO CARRICK Subs: BYWATER COLE (60) CHARLES (45) POTTS KITSON (58) FLOWERS ROWETT EADIE ELLIOTT TAGGART IMPEY SAVAGE LENNON IZZET GUPPY AKINBIYI Subs: WALSH GILCHRIST ROYCE OAKES COTTEE (81)
TEN MAN Hammers crashed to their second successive defeat of the season as the Foxes' Darren Eadie capitalised on a Shaka Hislop mistake.
Hislop failed to gather the ball cleanly after 55 minutes in a challenge with Ade Akinbiyi, and Eadie was poised to lash the ball home from close range.
The first half earlier ended in controversy when central defender, Igor Stimac, received his marching orders for a second bookable offence.
West Ham had dominated that opening period with Italian maestro, Paolo Di Canio, in mercurial form and he almost gave his side the lead with just two minutes on the clock when Tim Flowers pushed his drive over the bar.
The visitors gave the Hammers a rare scare when Matt Elliott glanced a header wide when in a promising position, but for much of the first half it was one-way traffic.
From Davor Suker's pinpoint cross, Di Canio was in the thick of the action, though his shot was well saved by former England keeper, Flowers.
Croatian giant, Stimac, collected his first booking midway through the opening half when he was adjudged to have fouled Eadie by referee, Rob Styles.
The loss of Frank Lampard prior to kick-off was softened by the return of Rio Ferdinand from injury, although he played in an unfamiliar right wing-back role.
That position enabled Ferdinand to roam forward, and he went close with an acrobatic over-head kick.
Striker Suker almost grabbed his first goal in a claret-and-blue shirt, but Flowers was again alert to save smartly with his legs.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, Stimac body-checked Robbie Savage near the halfway line, and he didn't bother to wait for Styles to flash the red card before heading for the tunnel.
Ten minutes after the break, and the Hammers' woes were further compounded when the Foxes snatched what proved to be the decisive goal.
Gary Rowett's ball wasn't dealt with effectively by Hislop, and Eadie volleyed home from six yards.
The hosts poured forward in search of an equaliser and came closest in the 79th minute when Stuart Pearce's free-kick thundered off the crossbar.
A minute later, and West Ham were given a let off when Akinbiyi was ruled offside after heading home former Hammer, Andy Impey's cross.
As desperately as the Hammers fought to salvage something from the contest, their endeavours were repelled by a stubborn Foxes' rearguard.
It leaves manager, Harry Redknapp, still waiting to pick up his first points of the new campaign, with a visit from champions, Manchester United, on the horizon