Premier League: West Ham United 3 Leeds United 1

Although Rodrigo put a lively Leeds side ahead on 17 minutes, that was as good as it got for the Yorkshiremen on an emotional East End afternoon that saw newly-elected Hammer-of-the-Year Declan Rice equalise on the half-hour mark, on what was undoubtedly his last-ever appearance for the club at London Stadium.

And with Jarrod Bowen then putting the Hammers ahead on 72 minutes, late substitute Manuel Lanzini cemented victory on what was almost certainly his final outing at Stratford, too.

A fabulous three days had seen David Moyes’ men seal an eagerly-awaited UEFA Europa Conference League final date in Prague on June 7 with a wonderful win on a fabulous Thursday night in Holland, while Saturday’s favourable results also confirmed absolute Premier League safety for a West Ham team determined to let the handbrake off in their last home game of the season.

Only Italian outfit Fiorentina stand in the path of Moyes as he seeks to lift the club’s first major European trophy since 1965 and, with his eyes firmly focusing on that precious prize, the Scot made a half-dozen changes following his side’s 1-0 victory at AZ Alkmaar.

In came Thursday’s match-winner Fornals plus Łukasz Fabiański, Vladimír Coufal, Danny Ings, Emerson Palmieri and Angelo Ogbonna as Alphonse Areola, Thilo Kehrer, Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell dropped to the bench, while Saïd Benrahma and Nayef Aguerd sat out altogether.

After stepping from the dug-out to score during the final few moments of stoppage time over at the AFAS Stadium, the red-faced Fornals could then only mark his return to domestic action with a loose, swinging air-shot during the opening exchanges of this London Stadium encounter.

The influential Lucas Paquetá also had an early shot charged down but it was Leeds, who were looking the most threatening with Patrick Bamford twice breaking from halfway. And, on the second occasion, his low left-wing cross arrived at the feet of Rodrigo, whose first touch let him down allowing Fabiański to smother, while Jack Harrison’s 18-yarder also forced the Polish keeper into a low save.

Sam Allardyce had famously led West Ham back to the promised land of the Premier League with a 2012 play-off victory at Wembley but having now sensationally taken over at Elland Road in a last-ditch attempt to maintain Leeds top-flight status, he returned to the capital in full fire-fighter mode.

Already halfway through his four-match mission, Big Sam kicked off in 18th spot – two points adrift of safety with just three hours of the season left to play – and following last week’s chaotic 2-2 draw with Newcastle he made two changes with Adam Forshaw replacing the suspended Junior Firpo, while substitute Pascal Struijk came in for Sam Greenwood.

Since leaving the Hammers in 2015, Allardyce had lost five all matches against his former club as manager of Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Bromwich Albion but on 17 minutes, his fortunes took a distinct turn for the better.

Undone by a long throw at Brentford last Sunday, West Ham clearly had not learned their lesson for when Weston McKennie hurled the ball towards the penalty spot, Rodrigo ghosted in behind Ogbonna to volley the dropping ball under the left-hand upright.

Despite his 68 years, the athletic Allardyce leapt from his seat to celebrate a Leeds opener that temporarily lifted them out of the bottom three but, minutes later, he was fidgeting uncomfortably back in the dug-out as West Ham began to crank up the pressure, forcing a hat-trick of corners.

Joel Robles dived into a crowd of boots to snatch the ball from Tomáš Souček’s studs and after shooting high and wide, Rice then had a second shot blocked as Moyes’ men began knocking loudly on the door.

Sure enough, on 31 minutes. Bowen played successive one-twos with Paquetá and Fornals as he foraged his way down the right flank before clipping his cross to the back post, where Rice – having found space behind Rodrigo – made it third time lucky by volleying the ball into the London Stadium turf and up into the net.

The skipper’s ecstatic, emotional celebration at netting his fifth goal of the campaign saw him encircled by a group hug of claret and blue shirts and, with Big Sam’s afternoon now taking a definite turn for the worse, things deteriorated yet further for the visitors as Bamford hobbled away with a hamstring injury to be replaced by Wilfried Gnonto.

Only Robles’ low save from Emerson prevented West Ham from taking the lead yet in first-half stoppage time Leeds should have departed with their noses back in front but the rampaging Rodrigo curiously shirked responsibility and substitute Gnonto totally missed his kick before the supporting Harrison scuffed his 18-yarder wide.

With Kehrer replacing Zouma for the restart, Paquetá soon sent Robles into a full-length save with a curling 20-yarder before the Spanish stopper then denied Bowen as the hour-mark neared.

Next-up, it was Souček’s turn to be denied as the Leeds keeper tipped the Czech’s downward header over the bar and that was the cue for an Allardyce double-switch with Forshaw and Harrison departing for Brenden Aaronson and Crysencio Summerville, who was quickly felled by the consequently-cautioned Paquetá.

But on 72 minutes, Robles’ luck ran out, when Ings cleverly took out a quartet of defenders with a reverse pass that played in the alert Bowen, whose angled six-yarder flew past the helplessly exposed goalkeeper’s outstretched left glove.

Not even a Video Assistant Referee review could deny the West Ham wide-boy his 12th goal of the season and as Leeds frustration grew at having seen their lead evaporating into the Stratford air, Summerville, Rodrigo and Robin Koch picked up a hat-trick of yellow cards for fouls on Ogbonna, Paquetá and Coufal, who had not allowed a white shirt to pass him all afternoon.

Lanzini replaced Bowen for the final few minutes and fittingly marked his cameo appearance – and almost certainly final Hammers outing at London Stadium – with a goal in stoppage time.

Fellow South American Paquetá danced samba-style along the byline leaving Max Wöber, Marc Roca and Rasmus Kristensen in his wake before the Brazilian cut the ball back towards the edge of the six-yard box, where the newly arrived Argentinian netted his 32nd goal in claret and blue after an eight-year stay with the Hammers.

England midfielder Rice might even have netted his second after Paquetá unselfishly set him up in the final moments but the 41-cap England midfielder could not beat the lone figure of Robles.

By now it was game over anyway and Leeds now play Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday knowing nothing less than a win can give them any chance of survival, while West Ham head to struggling Leicester City (4.30pm) with no such worries whatsoever.

West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Emerson, Ogbonna, Zouma (Kehrer 46), Rice, Souček, Paquetá, Bowen (Lanzini 83), Fornals (Johnson 90+3), Ings (Mubama (90+3). Unused subs: Areola, Cresswell, Antonio, Cornet, Benrahma.

Leeds: Robles, Ayling, Forshaw (Aaronson 62), Kristensen, Wöber, Koch, McKennie (Roca 84), Struijk (Greenwood 84), Rodrigo, Harrison (Summerville 62), Bamford (Gnonto 34). Unused subs: Meslier, Cooper, Rutter, Chilokoa-Mullen. 

Booked:  Paquetá (65), Summerville (80), Rodrigo (82), Koch (88).

Referee: Peter Bankes.