West Ham United secured a 2-0 win against Leicester City in Saturday's Premier League clash at Upton Park.

Andy Carroll opened the scoring in the first half with a deft chip over Foxes goalkeeper Ben Hamer, following a failed Paul Konchesky back-pass.

Four minutes before the hour mark, Stewart Downing curled a long-range shot home to double the Hammers' lead, while goalkeeper Adrian kept a clean sheet after impressive saves from David Nugent and Leonardo Ulloa late on.

The result keeps Sam Allardyce's side in the Premier League's top four, while Leicester are faced with spending Christmas at the foot of the table.

Here, Sports Mole assesses the players that took part in the game.

WEST HAM UNITED

Goal

Adrian: Commanded his area well throughout and pulled off a smart save from Mahrez in the first half, before two outstanding stops late on to deny Nugent and Ulloa. (8/10)

Defence

Aaron Cresswell: Nullified Mahrez well, forcing the winger to switch flanks, and also pushed forward throughout. (7/10)

Winston Reid: Never really tested by the Foxes frontline, but appeared jittery at times when called upon. (6/10)

Carl Jenkinson: Got forward plenty of times, but lacked a final delivery, while also struggling against Mahrez once he shifted wings. (5/10)

James Tomkins: Nervous in defence, skewing a lot of simple-looking clearances, and struggled against Vardy. (5/10)

Midfield

Cheikhou Kouyate: Was energetic and worked hard, but was perhaps a tad too eager, misplacing a series of passes and losing possession on too many occasions. (6/10)

Alex Song: Calm and comfortable in the middle of the park, and did well to shrug off several tough challenges in the first half. (7/10)

Kevin Nolan: Started well and provided a good link between defence and midfield, but faded later on in the game until he was subbed off. (6/10)

Stewart Downing: Played well behind Carroll and Sakho, and was responsible for the moment of magic that was the game's second goal. (8/10)

Attack

Diafra Sakho: Missed a gilt-edged chance early on and never truly recovered, showing plenty of intent, but also nervousness. (6/10)

Andy Carroll: Did well to recover from missing a sitter to make the most of Konchesky's awful back-pass, showing great skill and awareness to loft the ball over Hamer for the first goal of the game. Continued to work hard and showed plenty of confidence, including an audacious overhead kick early on in the second half. (8/10)

Substitutes

James Collins: Calm and composed when brought on. (7/10)

Morgan Amalfitano: Came on too late to have much of an impact. (6/10)

Enner Valencia: His pace and energy was effective against a wavering Leicester defence. (6/10)

LEICESTER CITY

Goal

Ben Hamer: Went down too early when faced with Carroll for the West Ham striker's early goal, but had no chance with regards to Downing's strike. A decent enough deputy for Kasper Schmeichel. (7/10)

Defence

Marcin Wasilewski: Clearly second best against the dominant Carroll, the Polish defender endured a difficult afternoon. (5/10)

Danny Simpson: Supported Mahrez well on the overlap, but came up short against Cresswell and Downing. (6/10)

Wes Morgan: Strong and composed at the back, he had Sakho in his back pocket. (7/10)

Paul Konchesky: Guilty of a dreadful back-pass that allowed Carroll to open the scoring for the hosts, and struggled to get into the game after that. (5/10)

Midfield

Danny Drinkwater: Solid and hard working in the centre of the park, he dictated the tempo of the game. (7/10)

Andy King: Supported Vardy well and drifted between midfield and attack at will, but had little impact in the final third. (6/10)

Esteban Cambiasso: Song and Kouyate stifled him in midfield, disrupting his usually-slick passing game. (6/10)

Jeff Schlupp: Showed great intent and pushed forward often, but did not see much of the ball. (6/10)

Riyad Mahrez: Ineffective until he switched flanks, after which he became a constant threat, buzzing down the wing. Forced a great save from Adrian late in the first half. (7/10)

Attack

Jamie Vardy: Used his pace well and was constantly snapping at Tomkins' heels, but drew the ire of the referee with his fouls on Song. (6/10)

Substitutes

Anthony Knockaert: Failed to make much of a mark as his side chased the game. (6/10)

David Nugent: Added depth to Leicester's strikeforce and drew a great save from Adrian late on. (7/10)

Leonardo Ulloa: Very nearly pulled a goal back for his side in injury time with his header. (6/10)