Michail Antonio double sees West Ham thrash 10-man Leicester

West Ham 4-1 Leicester: The Hammers produced a brilliant performance to mark the return of a capacity crowd

Michail Antonio celebrates scoring for West Ham (Getty Images)

West Ham’s resurrection might have taken place behind closed doors last season, but this ecstatic homecoming will be remembered as the night when the club revived its pulse. It had been 16 months since a full capacity crowd last packed the London Stadium, when the club had teetered on the brink of relegation and ruin, with an atmosphere so toxic it might alarm a radiation detector. For those who were forced to watch their drastic transformation last season from afar, this was a chance to celebrate the distance travelled, the fortunes changed, and savour the joy that’s so often been surrendered to volatility in recent years. Even then, they might not have imagined it would end with Michail Antonio kissing a cardboard cutout of himself and the club top of the Premier League table.

There had been some trepidation – which David Moyes was quick to dismiss – over the return of fans here. But any conspiracies of a curse or distraction could not have been disproved any more emphatically, with an utterly dominant 4-1 victory over a 10-man Leicester side who’d begun to disintegrate even before Ayoze Perez was sent off. And as cathartic as this was for the club’s supporters, it came as long-overdue recognition for their manager, too, in a performance that epitomised the grit, guile and gumption Moyes has ingrained into this team.

The supporters stayed behind after the whistle and roared into the night sky, the players waved and soaked in the serenades, and the Scot smiled knowingly. This was his revolution that had finally been given the stage it deserves, and for those who were in attendance, one that will live long in the memory.

Even though Leicester had started with more vigour, the sense of anticipation had been building since the opening whistle. West Ham might have not made any new signings this summer – and they certainly still require reinforcements – but what remains is still an exceptional spine. As ever, it was spearheaded by Michail Antonio, who instantly struck fear into the heart of Leicester’s defence with direct and driving runs, while Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek seized control of the tempo and refused to ever let it go.

It only took 26 minutes for the cork to be popped and the stadium to bubble over in delight. It was, unsurprisingly, sparked by the cunning of Rice, who nicked the ball from Jamie Vardy and instigated a magnificent counter-attack, with a smooth shimmy from Jarred Bowen releasing Said Benrahma down the left-wing. The Algerian’s cross was met perfectly with a subtle flick by Pablo Fornals to guide the ball into the far post.

It was the precise counter-attack that has been the archetype of West Ham’s success under Moyes, his team remaining structured and disciplined, comfortable to cede possession and spring from their shackles with intent. Once hounded as uninspiring, there could be no better evidence of the stability he has brought to these volatile foundations.

In spite of all their possession, Leicester were simply overwhelmed when West Ham surged forwards. Antonio’s stampedes continued to send Daniel Amartey and Caglar Soyuncu into disarray before Soucek, an irrepressible jack-in-the-box, leapt highest to attack Fornals’ cross and so nearly doubled the lead.

They had to wait for that breakthrough, but soon the rhythm of this match had been changed irreversibly. More out of reckless misfortune than menacing intent, Perez made his first notable contribution when he followed through and stamped nastily on Fornals’ shin. It was a grimacing tackle, the type of which can inflict serious harm, and after reviewing the pitchside monitor, Michael Oliver inevitably brandished a red card.

The tone hardly abated in the second half, with a sumptuous Bowen backheel almost setting Soucek free in the box before Antonio forced Schmeichel into a brilliant fingertip save just minutes later. And with Leicester’s hopes already hanging by a thread, it was Soyuncu who cut the cord, blindly playing a ponderous back pass that was pounced on by Antonio. The striker held his composure magnificently, drew Schmeichel towards him and played in Benrahma, who fired emphatically into the empty net. It was a catastrophic blunder – one that left Brendan Rodgers emitting smoke – but that did not matter to those in attendance. West Ham’s players celebrated wildly and the stadium rocked with more feverish, pent-up delight.

For a moment, though, the taunts of panic did threaten to derail the celebrations. Leicester had been a mute force in the second half, clinging on for dear life, but when James Maddison waltzed into space on the edge of the box those thrashing limbs played into their hands. Bobbling through a sea of miskicks, the ball eventually fell to Youri Tielemans and, although Aaron Cresswell made a brilliant intervention to block his first shot, the Belgian midfielder was left with the most routine of rebounds.

It was a sucker punch that might have knocked the wind out of this procession, but West Ham are not so lightweight anymore. They rallied instantly and were roared on by a crowd desperate not to let the occasion escape them. The reward came soon afterwards as Antonio marked a giddy match with a landmark of his own, pivoting into space in the box and rattling a shot past Schmeichel to become the club’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League and launch a bizarre but addictive celebration. And as the supporters took to their feet and revelled in a performance they’ve yearned to witness up close for so long, Antonio capped the match with the fireworks of another remarkable flourish, flicking the ball over the head of Schmeichel before prodding home his second. When he returned from the dressing room to conduct a post-match interview, the fans were still singing his name on a night they didn’t want to end.