West Ham ran out comfortable winners of this Christmas encounter on Saturday, yet had it not been for three outstanding saves from home keeper Adrian it could have been an altogether different story.

The high tempo football of the home side put Leicester on the back foot for most of the first half, with the aerial power of Andy Carroll (pictured) and pace of Diafra Sakho providing a constant effect.

And the deadlock did not last long as West Ham cleared a Leicester attack up to Sakho on the right wing. 

The Senegalese striker was dispossessed by former Hammer Paul Konchesky, who then for some inexplicable reason turned the ball inside rather than playing it out. 

The marauding Carroll latched on to the loose ball, holding off the defender, and deftly clipping over the advancing Leicester keeper Ben Hamer.

A few minutes later Leicester had the chance to equal things up when Jamie Vardy fired in after home captain James Tompkins had been dispossessed. But Adrian dived to beat away the shot.

In the 56th minute West Ham extended their lead, Sakho knocking down a long ball from Adrian for Stewart Downing to step inside and curl a shot wide of Hamer from 20 yards.

Leicester manager Nigel Pearson bemoaned the missed chances. “We once again created chances and came away with nothing, I have to say that has been happening too often.

“Individual mistakes have been costly for us and we have not been scoring the goals.”

The Leicester boss admitted the pressure on him as a manager was growing but that he had broad shoulders and could deal with it. 

“I’ve been in difficult situations before and you have to deal with the good and bad times,” said Pearson.

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce praised goalscorers Carroll and Downing, as well as Adrian for his saves. “Stewart had a very good performance, it’s not just the goals he’s scoring nut what he’s creating,” he said.