After another defeat on Monday night left them mired in the relegation zone, West Ham travelled to Elland Road in desperate need of a lift, but within three minutes, Hammers fans had that familiar sinking feeling.
A searching cross from Jayden Bogle was headed goalwards by Noah Okafor, who forced a save from Alphonse Areola, giving Brenden Aaronson the simple task of turning home the rebound from close range to open the scoring.
Looking for a response, Jarrod Bowen produced a spectacular acrobatic effort, yet that was dealt with comfortably by a well-placed Lucas Perri, who was soon celebrating his side’s second goal of the game.
With just a quarter of an hour played, Leeds doubled their lead through an unmarked Joe Rodon, heading home after losing his marker – the ninth time the Hammers have conceded a PL goal from a corner.
On the back foot for much of the first half, West Ham thought they’d at least halved the deficit when Lucas Paquetá fired in from point-blank range, only for a tight offside call to deny the Brazilian as Leeds saw their two-goal advantage through to the break.
Ahead at HT for the first time at home this season, Leeds remained in charge after the restart, and they could have put the game to bed as the hour mark approached, with Aaronson’s direct run ending with a deflected strike clipping the crossbar on its way over.
A more balanced period of play followed, which undoubtedly suited the hosts just fine as a lack of clear-cut chances kept them in a comfortable position.
There were some Leeds nerves when substitute Mateus Fernandes guided Bowen’s bending cross beyond the outstretched glove of Perri in the 90th minute, but that proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
Previously 23 games undefeated at home in league football (W18, D5), Leeds bounced back from their streak-ending loss to Tottenham Hotspur in early October with an assured performance here.
As for West Ham, the questions continue to pile up for boss Nuno Espírito Santo, who sees his new side slump to a league-high seventh defeat of the season, now seven points behind tonight’s winners and potentially bottom of the table by the end of the weekend.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United)