A PULSATING game between West Ham and Manchester City finished with honours even at the London Stadium on Sunday.

A game that marked the end of an illustrious 18-year-career for Hammers club captain Mark Noble, who was to make a cameo appearance for the last 15 minutes, did not disappoint.

Both teams needed the points: City to hold on to the title, West Ham to qualify for the Europa League next season.

West Ham came out on the front foot, with Craig Dawson skimming the roof of the net with a header from a Pablo Fornals cross.

Kurt Zouma then tidied up at the back, when it looked as if City’s Gabriel Jesus might turn and finish in the area. Rodri then had a shot deflected over the bar by Dawson.

West Ham took the lead halfway through the first half when a long kick from keeper Lukasz Fabianski was helped on by Fornals, who found Jarrod Bowen running in behind the City rearguard. The striker took the ball wide of keeper Edison and finished from a narrow angle.

And the Hammers doubled their lead on the brink of half time. Another long kick from Fabianski was helped on by Michail Antonio for Bowen to finish, driving the ball home past Edison.

City meant business after the break, their players out, in position and ready to go long before West Ham emerged from the tunnel and it took them just three minutes to get a goal back, with the increasingly influential Jack Grealish lashing home as a header out from Hammers midfielder Tomas Soucek fell kindly for him.

The pressure continued to mount on the West Ham goal, with Fabianski pulling off excellent saves to thwart Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne. 

Looking more like the player from earlier in the season, Antonio picked up a misplaced pass at the other end — but his effort to bypass Edison went wide of the post.

City then pulled level when a Riyad Mahrez free kick was headed into his own net by right-back Vladimir Coufal.

West Ham then had a chance to regain the lead, as Bowen met a knock-down from  Dawson, but the goal bound effort was deflected wide by Aymeric Laporte. 

In the final 10 minutes, it looked as though City would take all three points when a penalty was awarded for Dawson bringing down Jesus as the striker ran across him.

But it was Fabianski to the rescue again, diving to the right to save Mahrez’s spot kick.

West Ham manager David Moyes stressed the need to build again if his team are to progress further.

“We’ve had a good go against the top teams this season,” he said, highlighting the games against City and Liverpool. “We want to get in amongst the top six.” 

Moyes declared City the best team West Ham have played this season. 

City boss Pep Guardiola remained confident that his side will retain the title. “We win our game [against Aston Villa] and we are champions: if we don’t, Liverpool will win,”he said. “It is an incredible privilege to have one game to be champions — it is in our hands.”

West Ham have to win at Brighton next week and hope Manchester United drop points at Crystal Palace in order to secure sixth spot and Europa League football next season.

And so the curtain came down on another excellent season at the London Stadium, with emotional scenes marking the retirement of Noble.