Di Canio the Hammers hero

Leicester tumbled to their 11th defeat of the season

West Ham 1-0 Leicester
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Paolo di Canio, making what might prove to be his last appearance for West Ham, left what could turn out to be the perfect parting gift with the winning goal against Leicester.

Tipped to join Manchester United, the Italian scored with a hooked shot on 35 minutes.

Paolo is one of those players who managers and coaches don't make, he is a God-given talent

West Ham manager Glenn Roeder

His sixth goal of the season further distanced West Ham from the relegation zone and left Leicester six points behind Middlesbrough, the fourth from bottom club.

Di Canio had replaced Jermain Defoe in Glenn Roeder's starting line-up having missed the last two matches through injury and illness.

Before the start of the game the extrovert Italian had hugged his teammates and saluted the crowd.

  Match facts

35 mins: Di Canio puts West Ham ahead

And ten minutes before half-time he found himself once again being embraced by his colleagues after he gave West Ham the lead.

Di Canio's goal sent Upton Park into delirium and also saved Joe Cole's blushes.

The ball had fallen to Cole in plenty of space, just eight yards from goal, and he looked certain to score.

But Frank Sinclair did a brilliant job of getting back to block the shot, and Leicester thought they had escaped.

Yet the loose ball was headed back across goal by Schemmel and Di Canio pounced at the far post to hook home.

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The goal had been much needed as there had been a surprising lack of urgency from both teams, especially in the attacking third.

That lack of urgency was all too apparent after 16 minutes when Tomas Repka allowed a ball to run back to David James.

Ade Akinbiyi refused to give up the chase and blocked James' clearance, and the loose ball rebounded towards Deane, with an open goal at his mercy.

But Nigel Winterburn and Christian Dailly combined to close Deane down and block his attempt at goal.

I felt we deserved a point because we played quite well, but we cannot buy a goal for love nor money

Leicester City manager Dave Bassett

West Ham had a good chance to double the lead within two minutes of the restart as Winterburn beat the offside trap to get behind the Leicester defence.

But the veteran left-back crossed the ball back without looking up and there was no-one to get on the end of it.

At the end of the game Di Canio saluted the four corners of Upton Park.

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West Ham: James, Schemmel, Repka, Dailly, Winterburn, Hutchison, Moncur (Foxe 85), Cole, Sinclair, Di Canio, Kanoute (Defoe 71).
Subs Not Used: Andersson, Kitson, Courtois.

Leicester: Walker, Davidson, Sinclair, Laursen, Rogers (Marshall 64), Impey, Savage, Wise, Scowcroft, Akinbiyi (Stevenson 84), Deane.
Subs Not Used: Flowers, Oakes, Stewart.

Booked: Davidson, Savage.

Attendance: 34,698.

Referee: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).