Leicester boss Nigel Pearson bemoaned his side's lack of quality in the final third after the Foxes lost 1-0 at home to West Brom in the Barclays Premier League.

Esteban Cambiasso's own-goal two minutes into the second half proved decisive at the King Power Stadium as Leicester struggled to convert pressure into clear-cut opportunities.

The defeat means Pearson's team are without a win in their last five fixtures - a run that included games against Swansea, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Burnley – ahead of next Saturday’s game against high-flying Saints at fortress St Mary’s.

“If you're looking at the baseline performance, I wouldn't be too displeased with how the players have gone about trying to get the right result,” ex-Saints boss Pearson said.

“Ultimately though it's going to be about quality at times and we've not really shown enough in the final third whether it be the final ball or the finish.

“In a game of very few chances we probably had the better openings but we haven't been able to take them.”

Pearson, whose side have won just twice in ten games so far and sit fourth from bottom, added: “You could argue we were slightly unlucky.

“On the back of our results we needed a more solid performance.

“I thought we had that, we didn't quite create enough clear-cut opportunities but we were playing against a side who do defend deep and are very disciplined in the way they defend.

“I could argue we were slightly unfortunate today but that's sometimes how it is.”

The result means Leicester have nine points from their opening 10 games and the Foxes could slip into the relegation spots if Sunderland beat Crystal Palace on Monday.

Despite the club's inconsistent start to the campaign, Pearson is adamant his players do have what it takes to survive in the top flight.

“We do have a group of players who are capable at this level," Pearson said.

“What we haven't found is a way of consistently picking points up.

“I've got a very strong belief in the players we have but ultimately it's about finding a consistent level of performance that allows you to be in a game to win it.

“We were in a game today - we weren't last week against Swansea - and it was just an unfortunate series of events that allowed West Brom to win.”

Leicester’s failure to score means they have netted only 11 times in their 10 league games so far – and five of them were in the remarkable 5-3 home win over Manchester United.

They have only scored once in five away games.