Second-half substitute Andy King grabbed an 87th-minute winner as Leicester City beat West Ham United 2-1 to breathe new life into their push for survival.
Esteban Cambiasso volleyed the hosts into a 1-0 lead at the King Power Stadium before David Nugent missed a penalty to establish a two-goal cushion moments later.
It proved a costly miss, as Cheikhou Kouyate equalised to earn parity at the break, but King climbed off the bench to snatch all three points for the Foxes.
Below, Sports Mole analyses how the game was won and lost.
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Match statistics
LEICESTER CITY
Shots: 19
On target: 5
Possession: 52%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 9
WEST HAM UNITED
Shots: 15
On target: 8
Possession: 48%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
Just about, yes. Nigel Pearson's side did more than enough in the second half, and created more than enough goalscoring chances to win this game.
Leicester's performance
On a weekend where we celebrate a resurrection, it is fitting that Leicester breathe new life into their bid for Premier League survival with a truly hard-fought win. Between losing games that they should have won and whatnot, their 2015 has been littered with hard-luck stories but the Foxes looked determined to avoid another one this afternoon.
They took a deserved lead through Cambiasso, but Nugent's missed penalty moments later shook them and West Ham slowly but surely developed a foothold, before Kouyate equalised to earn the visitors half-time parity. Pearson must have delivered a rousing speech during the interval, however, as his troops emerged from the break with a sense of urgency that had deserted them after Nugent's missed penalty.
It looked like being another hard-luck story for City, having dominated the second half and spurned a host of chances, but King turned home Jamie Vardy's scuffed effort with three minutes remaining to snatch them a deserved victory. They remain rooted to the foot of the table, but perhaps this win will prove to be the foundations of a great escape.
West Ham's performance
Sam Allardyce will have gone into the half-time break delighted with what he saw from his troops throughout the first 45 minutes. The Hammers got off to a sloppy start and fell behind through Cambiasso's volley, before Carl Jenkinson fouled Vardy to concede a penalty and compound a miserable few minutes for the East Londoners.
Adrian's save to deny Nugent from 12 yards proved a watershed moment, though, as the Hammers gradually grew in confidence from that point onwards and grabbed a deserved equaliser through Kouyate. They lost that momentum somewhere between the half-time whistle and the start of the second half, though, as Leicester took complete control and spurned a host of clear-cut opportunities.
West Ham had their chances and hit the post through Kouyate, but overall they just did not do enough in the second half to deserve anything from the game.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Alex Song: If the speculation linking Song with a move to Chelsea has any substance at all then Jose Mourinho certainly won't have been put off. Song, as he so often is, was brilliant at both ends of the field; constantly stifling Leicester's attacks, while regularly showing how dangerous he is in and around the opposition box, bagging a wonderful assist for Kouyate's equaliser. Comfortably the standout candidate for man of the match.
Biggest gaffe
Was it a poor penalty or a good save? Nugent will argue that it was the latter, but his execution was nowhere powerful or precise enough to beat Adrian from 12 yards. He could, and perhaps, should, have given Leicester a two-goal lead. Instead, it offered United a route back into the contest.
Referee performance
Mark Clattenburg produced a good performance. He got the penalty decision spot on, as he did with the four yellow cards.
What next?
Leicester: Next stop for Pearson's side in their relegation battle is a visit to West Bromwich Albion next Saturday.
West Ham: The Hammers, meanwhile, host Stoke City at Upton Park - also on April 11.
Shane Callaghan
