Connolly's sweat saves City

Leicester City 0 - West Ham United

Leicester survived being forced to play most of this game without their highest-profile summer recruit, Dion Dublin, by shedding the extra sweat needed to make up for his absence after he was sent off for a kick on Rufus Brevett.

Brevett himself became the second player to be dismissed in the 83rd minute, but, in between, City worked hard enough to disguise the fact that they had been left shorthanded in the heat.

The up-side of relegated Leicester's inevitable clear-out this summer is that Mickey Adams has been able to bring in almost as many players, admittedly rather cheaper ones. For the tie between two of the logical favourites for the Premiership quest come the end of the season, five newcomers made the starting line-up, including the new striking duo of Dion Dublin and the former West Ham man David Connolly.

After last season fizzled out in disappointing defeat in the play-off final, Upton Park has not seen quite the same turnover, but Alan Pardew too has a new pairing up front in the shape of the vastly experienced Teddy Sheringham and another former Tottenham player, Sergei Rebrov. Michael Carrick, who could be the next player from either of these clubs to be lured elsewhere, with Arsenal hovering ominously, was left out of West Ham's midfield.

The sense of anticipation at the Walkers Stadium was every bit as intense as it ever was at Filbert Street, even after a season as traumatic as last. It was not surprising, though, that City should look like a team of strangers at the start with the first hint of coherence coming after 10 minutes when Connolly combined with another new boy, Gareth Williams, to enable Jordan Stewart to get in a cross.

The bringing of Dublin to his hometown club, one which decided two decades ago that he was not going to make the grade, suggests that getting the ball across will be a big part of Leicester's strategy this season. It was one lofted in from the right by yet another new arrival, Chris Makin, that had Stephen Bywater flapping and then scrambling back towards his goal when Lilian Nalis struck the bar from just outside the penalty area.

The closest West Ham came to reply was when Sheringham pulled the ball back precisely for Hayden Mullins to clear the bar. Then, just 18 minutes into his competitive debut for Leicester, Dublin made his unscheduled exit. He clashed with Brevett as they battled for the ball in the air and then kicked out at him from the ground. Brevett was shown a yellow card and was booed every time he touched the ball thereafter for his part in the incident. Nalis followed him into the book shortly afterwards for a nasty lunge at Rebrov.

The Hammers quickly looked set to make their one-man advantage tell. Mullins sent a shot past the post and Matthew Etherington hit one into the side netting after Marlon Harewood's initial effort had been saved by Ian Walker.

Nigel Reo-Coker was another just off target, but Connolly, whose £500,000 fee is the most Adams has spent on a player, began to shoulder Leicester's attacking workload alone with a couple of dangerous runs, one of which ended with a shot into the side netting.

Connolly continued to work overtime in the second half, but Harewood almost beat the offside trap for the visitors after 56 minutes, Walker parrying his shot from 18 yards and then following up to save at Sheringham's feet.

Bywater fended equally well at the other end to keep out a shot on the turn from Connolly after Matt Heath had headed the ball down for him.

Despite being a man short in gruelling conditions - the temperature on the pitch was up in the thirties and one of the assistant referees had to be replaced - Leicester were holding their own. Another fierce left-footer from Connolly, this time from a James Scowcroft knock-down, flew past the post on 70 minutes. Hetherington was equally close for West Ham and the game deserved a goal.

It never came but, seven minutes from time, the second sending-off arrived with Brevett receiving his second yellow card for a senseless, two-footed tackle on Scowcroft.