Demarai Gray's goal sent Leicester four points clear of third-placed Manchester City - but they are 10 behind Liverpool
West Ham's miserable home record continued as defeat by a much-changed Leicester side left them stuck in a Premier League relegation battle.
Boos from the Hammers fans greeted the final whistle at London Stadium as Manuel Pellegrini's side racked up a fourth straight home defeat.
Second-placed Leicester, who made nine changes from the Boxing Day defeat by Liverpool, had a measure of control throughout and deservedly won through Demarai Gray's composed second-half finish.
Gray did see an early penalty saved by Hammers keeper Lukasz Fabianski, but the Foxes still took the lead through Kelechi Iheanacho's instinctive close-range header.
West Ham levelled through Pablo Fornals' precise finish on the cusp of half-time, but they could not build on that in the second half.
Instead it was Leicester who were the more composed, illustrated by the slick move and finish by Gray which consolidated second place ahead of Manchester City.
The Foxes are four clear of City, who have a game in hand, but trail runaway leaders Liverpool, who have played two games fewer, by 10 points.
West Ham remain fourth bottom, a point clear of the relegation zone, although they have played one game fewer than their rivals at the bottom because of Liverpool's triumphant involvement in the recent Club World Cup.
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Another dismal home display heaps pressure on Pellegrini
Having failed to win any of their five previous home matches, Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini demanded an improvement in his side's results at London Stadium.
Yet they produced another tepid performance in front of their own fans, lacking leadership, organisation and fight as they failed to win at home for the sixth game in a row.
And that run of four consecutive home Premier League defeats has equalled the club record set from November 2005 to January 2006 at Upton Park.
Pellegrini's future has already come under scrutiny, with the reaction at the final whistle from those left in the sparsely-filled stands clearly illustrating what they thought of the performance.
The Chilean's decision to replace striker Sebastien Haller with Michail Antonio, instead of pairing them together in a more attacking move, was also greeted with jeers and left Pellegrini in little doubt that the patience of the Hammers fans is wearing thin.
A performance of similar ineptitude against relegation rivals Bournemouth on New Year's Day may leave the Hammers hierarchy with little choice but to remove Pellegrini in a bid to stop the slide towards the relegation zone.
West Ham captain Declan Rice said the frustration of the squad was "10 out of 10", the England midfielder blaming lack of confidence for his side's slide from fifth in the table at the end of September to the cusp of the bottom three.
"People were talking about us being top six contenders and now we're so far away," said the 20-year-old.
"Fans are coming to the game pretty much not wanting to come. We need to pick up fast."
Hammers honour Peters in emotional tribute
Before the game West Ham paid tribute to legendary midfielder Martin Peters, who died aged 76 last week.
The Hammers celebrated the life of one of their finest players, who also starred in England's 1966 World Cup victory, with a minute's applause and a video montage of his finest moments.
Former Hammers team-mate Sir Geoff Hurst was close to tears after paying tribute to Peters in a speech, before carrying a floral shirt out to the centre spot alongside Peters' daughter Leeann.
Both sets of players led the minute's applause at an emotional London Stadium where fans also sang Peters' name.
What's next?
Another short turnaround for both teams with more Premier League matches taking place on New Year's Day.
The Hammers have another huge home game when they host Bournemouth, who are one place and one point above them, at 17:30 GMT.
Leicester again go on the road, travelling up to Newcastle for a 15:00 GMT kick-off.
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Line-ups
Match Stats
Live Text
Line-ups
West Ham
1FabianskiBooked at 9mins
24Fredericks
4Balbuena
23DiopBooked at 56mins
26MasuakuBooked at 49mins
41RiceBooked at 77mins
15C SánchezSubstituted forSnodgrassat 62'minutes
18Fornals
10LanziniSubstituted forAjetiat 70'minutes
8Felipe Anderson
22HallerSubstituted forAntonioat 55'minutes
Substitutes
2Reid
5Zabaleta
11Snodgrass
13Jiménez
16Noble
27Ajeti
30Antonio
Leicester
1Schmeichel
2Justin
5Morgan
6Evans
28Fuchs
7GraySubstituted forBarnesat 83'minutes
20ChoudhuryBooked at 90mins
24MendySubstituted forNdidiat 70'minutes
11Albrighton
17PérezSubstituted forMaddisonat 64'minutes
14Iheanacho
Substitutes
3Chilwell
4Söyüncü
8Tielemans
10Maddison
12Ward
15Barnes
25Ndidi
Referee:
David Coote
Attendance:
59,919
Match Stats
Home TeamWest HamAway TeamLeicester
Possession
Home43%
Away57%
Shots
Home14
Away13
Shots on Target
Home4
Away8
Corners
Home5
Away5
Fouls
Home16
Away4
Live Text
Posted at
Match ends, West Ham United 1, Leicester City 2.
Full TimePosted at 90'+5'
Second Half ends, West Ham United 1, Leicester City 2.
Posted at 90'+4'
Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Issa Diop.
Posted at 90'+4'
Attempt blocked. Harvey Barnes (Leicester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by James Maddison.
Posted at 90'+2'
Attempt missed. Robert Snodgrass (West Ham United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Posted at 90'+1'
Foul by Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City).
Posted at 90'+1'
Issa Diop (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 90'+1'
Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 90'+1'
Foul by Felipe Anderson (West Ham United).
BookingPosted at 90'
Hamza Choudhury (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Posted at 90'
Foul by Hamza Choudhury (Leicester City).
Posted at 90'
Felipe Anderson (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 86'
Attempt blocked. Hamza Choudhury (Leicester City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Harvey Barnes.
Posted at 86'
Marc Albrighton (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 86'
Foul by Ryan Fredericks (West Ham United).
Posted at 84'
Attempt saved. James Maddison (Leicester City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Marc Albrighton.
SubstitutionPosted at 83'
Substitution, Leicester City. Harvey Barnes replaces Demarai Gray.
Posted at 82'
James Maddison (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 82'
Foul by Michail Antonio (West Ham United).
Posted at 82'
Attempt missed. Michail Antonio (West Ham United) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ryan Fredericks with a cross.
Posted at 80'
Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Christian Fuchs.
Posted at 78'
Jonny Evans (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 78'
Foul by Albian Ajeti (West Ham United).
Posted at 78'
Attempt blocked. Albian Ajeti (West Ham United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Pablo Fornals with a cross.
BookingPosted at 77'
Declan Rice (West Ham United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Posted at 77'
James Maddison (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 77'
Foul by Declan Rice (West Ham United).
Posted at 73'
Attempt blocked. Fabián Balbuena (West Ham United) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Robert Snodgrass with a cross.
Posted at 72'
Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Demarai Gray.
Posted at 71'
Attempt missed. Christian Fuchs (Leicester City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by James Maddison following a corner.
SubstitutionPosted at 70'
Substitution, West Ham United. Albian Ajeti replaces Manuel Lanzini.
SubstitutionPosted at 70'
Substitution, Leicester City. Wilfred Ndidi replaces Nampalys Mendy.
Posted at 70'
Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Arthur Masuaku.
Posted at 68'
Attempt saved. Wes Morgan (Leicester City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Posted at 67'
Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Robert Snodgrass.
Posted at 66'
James Maddison (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Posted at 66'
Foul by Manuel Lanzini (West Ham United).
Posted at 65'
Offside, West Ham United. Michail Antonio tries a through ball, but Pablo Fornals is caught offside.
SubstitutionPosted at 64'
Substitution, Leicester City. James Maddison replaces Ayoze Pérez.
Posted at 63'
Offside, Leicester City. Demarai Gray tries a through ball, but Kelechi Iheanacho is caught offside.
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Source: bbc.com