West Ham spurned the chance to move within two points of Leicester City after they were pegged back to draw 1-1 at the King Power Stadium. Fabián Balbuena opened the scoring on the half-hour mark for the visitors with his first Premier League goal since joining from Corinthians in the summer, but skipper Mark Noble saw red for a wild challenge on Wilfred Ndidi to allow the Foxes a way back into the game. Harry Maguire struck the bar for the hosts, who were knocking on the door in the second half, before Ndidi levelled the scores in the 89th minute with a deflected strike. Ndidi's late goal earns #lcfc a point at King Power Stadium.#LeiWhu pic.twitter.com/rwsOoOsybY — Leicester City (@LCFC) 27 October 2018 LEICESTER CITY Key Talking Point Leicester initially started in the ascendancy and set up camp in the away side's half. They took advantage of the Hammers' high line of defence and nearly exploited them, with Iheanacho foiled by the linesman's flag, but they dropped off and allowed West Ham to assert themselves. They invited unnecessary pressure from their opponents and allowed them too much time and space, which was evident in the goal they conceded. They stood still and watched, as if in slow motion, as Balbuena opened the scoring from a set piece. Ghezzal came off for Vardy during the interval and the Englishman gave the Foxes more of an option up front. His movement off the ball allowed players to seek him out in behind the West Ham defence, which was a regular feature as Albrighton frequently looked up to find the striker, who managed to get onto his deliveries but just couldn't find the net. The influence of two strikers in Shinji Okazaki and Vardy caused several problems for Manuel Pellegrini's men, and their threat in the area meant that space opened up for the midfielders, which eventually led to Ndidi levelling things up with a deflected strike from outside the area. The game ended on something of a sour note though, a horrific ankle injury to Daniel Amartey seeing the defender stretchered off. Player Ratings Starting XI: Schmeichel (6); Amartey (6), Söyüncü (5), Maguire (6), Chilwell (6); Ndidi (6), Iborra (6); Ghezzal (5), Maddison (6), Albrighton (6); Iheanacho (5). Substitutes: Gray (6), Okazaki (6), Vardy (6*). STAR MAN - Vardy offered a new dimension since coming on for the Foxes. He was the target man that they didn't have in the first-half. He offered himself in areas of the pitch that Iheanacho didn't and his overall presence caused the Hammers several problems. Vardy was hungry for the ball, made good runs off the play and ran across defenders to get in with a chance of scoring, showing why he should have started instead of the Nigerian. WORST PLAYER - Iheanacho started the game brightly and had the ball in the back of the net, but it was ruled out for offside. He was quiet after that, and didn't see much of the ball – ending the first half as the Leicester player with the second fewest touches. In truth, he was deprived of service for the most part of the first period, but didn't really get into any positions to receive the ball and when it finally opened up for him, he squandered it. WEST HAM Key Talking Point The Hammers grew into the game after the first quarter of an hour, which saw them pegged back in their own half, and they used their width – provided by the two full-backs, to a good standard. They got bodies into the penalty area and were able to get shots away. The east London outfit seemed to have been working on set pieces, with their goal looking to have come straight off the training ground. Balbuena peeled off his man to latch onto Declan Rice's flick-on from a free kick and bundle home, after the Paraguayan's initial header struck the post. Fabian Balbuena - the first Paraguayan to score in the #PL since Antolin Alcaraz in May 2012 #LEIWHU pic.twitter.com/bEZZzJoyKW — Premier League (@premierleague) 27 October 2018 However, from a position of control, they were up against it when skipper Noble was sent off eight minutes later, for a needless high, lunging challenge on Ndidi. They were on the back foot in the second half and couldn't get out. They struggled to keep possession and just invited pressure onto them. They did as well as they could with ten men, but the players had to make up more ground and consequently, Balbuena's unfortunate ricochet ended up in the back of the net. Player Ratings Starting XI: Fabiański (6); Zabaleta (6), Balbuena (7*), Diop (6), Masuaku (5); Rice (6), Diangana (6), Noble (5), Snodgrass (5), Anderson (5); Hernández (5). Substitutes: Ogbonna (5), Cresswell (5), Antonio (5) STAR MAN - Balbuena was terrific. He scored the opener for the Hammers and was a brick wall for his side in defence. He got tight to his opponents, read the game well and got into good defensive positions in order to make decent blocks and recovery challenges. It isn't easy defending while a man down, but he did very well, considering that he had to deal with Vardy in the second half, a player who never gives his opponents a moment's rest. He was assured for the majority of the match but, unfortunately for him, it was his deflection that saw Leicester equalise. Fabian Balbuena - the first Paraguayan to score in the #PL since Antolin Alcaraz in May 2012 #LEIWHU pic.twitter.com/bEZZzJoyKW — Premier League (@premierleague) 27 October 2018 WORST PLAYER - Noble's bizarre challenge ultimately cost his side. They were in control after going in front, but his decision to needlessly go to ground and commit to a high, lunging challenge, gave referee Michael Oliver no option other than to send the him off. It was an astonishing challenge, considering his vast experience in the game and on another day, it could have cost West Ham further. Looking Ahead Next up, Leicester host 16th placed Southampton, who are hoping to end their six-game winless run in the league. As for West Ham, they host London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup in midweek, before hosting another claret and blue side in Burnley on Saturday.<doc-sep>Ten-man West Ham United came close to securing a hard-fought Premier League victory at Leicester City on Saturday. The Hammers went ahead though Fabian Balbuena's first goal for the club on the half-hour mark, only to lose Mark Noble to a red card seven minutes before half-time for a foul on Wilfred Ndidi. West Ham defended heroically throughout, with Lukasz Fabianski making a number of fine saves, and could even have extended their lead late on, only for Ndidi's long-range shot to deflect off Balbuena and into the top corner. Watch extended highlights of Saturday's 1-1 draw here.<doc-sep>Sign up to FREE email alerts from Football London - West Ham Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Manuel Pellegrini has made a huge call as he has included 20-year-old Grady Diangana from the start for West Ham in their crunch clash with Leicester City. However, there is also a major blow to the side as star man Marko Arnautoivic is ruled out of the game through illness. Football.London understands that the striker hasn't trained for the last couple of days and his absence is not related to the knee injury he is currently playing through the pain barrier with. The 20-year-old Diangana starts in place of the injured Andriy Yarmolenko, who is out for between five and six months with an achilles injury as the Hammers manager snubs Michail Antonio once again. Diangana came off the bench to replace Yarmolenko in the 1-0 defeat to Spurs at the London Stadium last weekend, having exploded onto the scene with a two-goal display in the Carabao Cup win over Macclesfield Town last month. (Image: Dan Istitene/Getty Images) There is a change at left back too as Arthur Masuaku is recalled at the expense of Aaron Cresswell. The DR Congo defender missed the defeat to Spurs after picking up a minor ankle injury but was named on the bench last weekend. The other change comes up front, where Javier Hernandez starts for the first time in the Premier League since the second game of the season as he replaces Arnautovic leading the line. Felipe Anderson, who could do with a good display after a poor one against Spurs, maintains his record of starting every Premier League game so far this season. Robert Snodgrass also retains his place in midfield as Pedro Obiang misses out for the second game in succession through injury. West Ham: Fabianski; Zabaleta, Diop, Balbuena, Masuaku; Rice, Noble, Snodgrass; Diangana, Anderson, Hernandez. Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android . Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .<doc-sep>
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has analysed the performance of Michael Oliver during Leicester City vs West Ham. Speaking to Sky Sports he focussed on the decision to send off Mark Noble in the 38th minute for a challenge on Wilfred Ndidi. Noble had lost control of the ball near the halfway line and slid into the challenge with the Leicester man, making contact with his right calf. Oliver was quick to the scene and equally quick to pull his red card out of his pocket, giving the West Ham man his marching orders. Noble is now likely to miss a minimum of three games for the challenge. Gallagher analysed the challenge alongside other big decisions from the weekend and agreed with Oliver that Noble needed to head off for an early shower. (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) Describing the incident as a 'lunge' on Ndidi, Gallager said that Oliver made the correct decision in giving out a red card. He said: "It is brilliant refereeing, great position because when you see the first shot, it does not look the worst tackle in the world. "But when you see the referee's view, it is a really, really bad tackle. "But that is credit to Michael Oliver for the hard work he has done to get in that position." Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android . Available to download from the App Store and Google Play