City came back from Upton Park empty-handed last night despite a spirited display which saw them go down to a solitary Jermain Defoe strike.

Manager Nicky Law said: "It was always going to be difficult anyway but to come here after the unfortunate sacking of Glenn Roeder, they were always going to respond. It's ironic and a shame that they have to sack a manager to get a response from the players.

"They put us under a lot of pressure but in the last 15 minutes of the first half and the second half we started to pass the ball and I think the players started to realise they had nothing to fear."

Law was fulsome in his praise of the way in which his side stuck to their task.

"I think if you take Defoe out, then it was a pretty even game. The players have done themselves proud - they've come off and can look in the mirror because they couldn't have given any more," he said.

"I don't think there was a great deal of difference between the teams to be honest."

Dean Windass was forced to leave the field after only 13 minutes, following a heavy tackle from behind by Thomas Repka. Ironically, the pair had crossed swords before in acrimonious circumstances, when Repka made his debut for the Hammers and was red-carded for a similar offence on Windass, who was then plying his trade at Middlesbrough.

The City front-man said: "It was probably the same challenge coming through the back of me but that time the referee had the guts to send him off. It was a bad tackle and he did the same to Andy Gray soon after but the referee bottled it and never sent him off."

Windass saluted his team-mates' effort and endeavour, saying: "We could have gone in 1-1 at half-time with Gareth Edds' chance but during the second half the lads were magnificent and if it had been a boxing match, then it would have been stopped.

"We created three or four good chances and obviously Jermain Defoe scored a good goal. Apart from that we dominated the second half.

"The gaffer has drilled it into us to pass the ball around and there was a lot of young kids out there for us. But they did brilliantly."