Player Ratings: West Ham 2 - 2 Leicester City

Leicester City traveled to London Stadium to face West Ham in a crucial game for the race for 7th in the Premier League. The Foxes came from behind twice to take a 2-2 draw and a point, but unfortunately that may not be enough to hold off Watford and Wolves.

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Kasper Schmeichel - 6.5

He allowed two goals from three shots on target and gave the ball away cheaply on one separate occasion, but he did well to claim a few dangerous crosses.

Ricardo Pereira - 8

Probably the most consistent City player on the day. He was effective on both ends from start to finish and tallied four tackles, two clearances, one blocked shot, two successful dribbles, one foul drawn, and completed about 85% of his passes. He also led the team with 78 touches and attempted the third-most passes with 52.

Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images

Jonny Evans - 6.5

Though he was one of the players who kept Lucas Pérez onside for his goal, it would be hard to pin the blame on any one player as it was just a remarkably well-timed run. Evans was otherwise reliable.

Harry Maguire - 6.5

He couldn't quite get a clean hit on any of the corners or set-pieces delivered in his direction, but he still contributed a reasonable amount. He won five aerial duels, and made two tackles and five clearances.

Ben Chilwell - 7.5

It was an odd game for Chilly. On first look it may have appeared he was struggling a bit at the start, was beaten to the ball in the air on Michail Antonio’s opening goal, and couldn’t venture into attack much, but a quick look at the stat sheet tells a different story. He ended the day with five tackles, one interception, seven clearances, one blocked shot, one shot on target, two key passes, and one assist.

Wilfred Ndidi - 8

He was heavily involved on the day (most passes attempted by a City player with 58, and second-most touches with 76). As should be expected, most of his passes were of the safe variety, but he completed a solid 85% of them. He also made seven tackles, one interception, and four clearances.

Youri Tielemans - 7

For most of the match it would have been fair to say it was his least impressive performance in a Leicester shirt. One pivotal involvement changed that, however, as he provided a perfectly threaded assist to Harvey Barnes to equalize the game in the 91st minute. He also added this bit of flair earlier in the proceedings.

James Maddison - 6.5

He totaled two shots on target, one key pass, and two successful dribbles yet still didn’t seem to be at his best. It was a day where he was almost effective on a number of occasions. His shots were just a bit of power and placement away from threatening, and a few of his passes were just a small distance away from reaching their targets in dangerous areas. His set-piece deliveries were perhaps his best contributions.

Marc Albrighton - 6

Albrighton made his return to the starting XI, but unfortunately was unable to provide much of a spark. While the team struggled in the first half he was one of the only players providing an outlet, yet he didn’t do much with the ball. He whipped in seven crosses, none of which found their targets.

Demarai Gray - 5.5

He finished the game with just 33 touches of the ball which was good for third least among City starters (only one more than Kasper). There wasn’t much to note with those touches either as Gray failed to make an impact.

Jamie Vardy - 7

Vardy, like Gray, saw very little of the ball. He was last among the team’s starters with just 21 touches. Unlike Gray, however, he was hugely impactful. In the 67th minute he met a low cross from Chilwell and poked it into the net from a difficult angle.

Harvey Barnes - 8.5

The 21-year-old came on for Albrighton in the 63rd minute and certainly made his presence felt. In just about 30 minutes on the pitch he completed four successful dribbles, one key pass, and scored his first Premier League goal.

Kelechi Iheanacho - 6.5

Subbed on in the 83rd minute for Gray much to the fanbase’s chagrin. In his short time on the pitch, however, he made a few dangerous runs and looked comfortable on the ball, though he didn’t come away with anything to show for it.

Nampalys Mendy - N/A

Was the third and final substitute in the 94th minute.

*all stats courtesy of whoscored.com

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While the result may not be satisfying enough for those hoping for a Europa League spot, the journey to the result was exhilarating. The Hammers controlled the first half, but the response from the Foxes showed their resilience (more than once, actually).

Given the up-and-down nature of the affair there weren’t too many standouts for Leicester. In fact, a few players even salvaged their ratings with singular interventions (Tielemans, Vardy, maybe Chilwell). That would leave just Ricardo Pereira, Wilfred Ndidi, and Harvey Barnes as the only viable candidates for Fosse Posse Man of the Match. Of these three it was Ricardo who was most present and consistent throughout the game, but it was Barnes’ 30 minutes that were stronger than any other Foxes’. While tempted to go the easy route and designate them co-MOTM, I’ll settle on Harvey Barnes as the one true MOTM. It’s rare that a substitute impacts the game enough to earn this denomination, but the young Fox was just too influential to ignore.