David Gold and David Sullivan will hope to witness more affirming occasions than their first home game as West Ham’s freshly ensconced joint-owners.

The pair had entered once the strains of Any Old Iron, Run Rabbit Run and various other cockney melodies had faded. Yet after a rousing reception for what was billed as “Home At Last” by the West Ham programme, the two Davids saw an encounter imbued with a reserve game’s quality and atmosphere until the closing 20 minutes.

West Ham may have about edged possession during the opening period, but the “highlights” boiled down to the odd corner plus too few chances from the teams, who had lined up 4-5-1, and with a seemingly identical intent to cause stupor in the stands.

On 33 minutes Alessandro Diamanti’s free-kick from the right at least worried Paul Robinson, requiring England’s ex-No1 to punch to safety.

Blackburn’s best effort appeared to have also derived from a free-kick on the angle. Morten Gamst Pedersen swung this one in from the left on a low parabola. The ball was allowed to bisect the box, before it was shinned away.

Thankfully, some genuine premium fare did arrive, two minutes before the oranges and teas. This time Pederson lined the free-kick up 25 yards from Robert Green’s goal, and the Norwegian’s sweet left-footed shot rasped the ball beyond the keeper, only for it dip against the bar.

The game stirred after Carlton Cole made a second entrance since recovering from the knee injury that had kept him out since November. He was quickly followed by Jason Roberts, whose opening contribution was to remove James Tomkins with a playground body swerve before the striker unloaded straight into Green’s midrift.

Earlier Gaël Givet would have scored had Cole not cleared off the line. His expertise, though, had been required in front of the opposing goal.

Robinson also tipped over from Diamant but David G and David S retired to their executive lounge knowing West Ham have to start winning soon.

Premier LeagueWest Ham UnitedBlackburn RoversJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk

West Ham are celebrating putting some daylight between themselves and basement club Portsmouth after this Boxing Day victory courtesy of goals from Alessandro Diamanti and Radoslav Kovac.

It was their first win since November and leaves them four points ahead of Avram Grant’s strugglers.

This lunchtime kick-off brought together two of the Premier League’s most financially fraught clubs and the first half suffered from a poverty of chances and entertainment.

Hermann Hreidarsson went close early on for Portsmouth, who failed to take advantage of their brighter start and soon found themselves pinned back by West Ham pressure, of a sort.

The home side’s dominance stemmed from the industry of Scott Parker and the left foot of Diamanti – without these players, the first half would have been even grimmer fare.

It was Parker who found himself alone in the Portsmouth box when the right-back Julien Faubert pumped a long ball forward. The midfielder fed Guillermo Franco and, after the striker had an effort blocked, the substitute Luis Jimenez reacted quickest and was felled in the area by a combination of Michael Brown and former Hammer Hayden Mullins.

Diamanti’s left foot did the job from 12 yards out, his powerful shot going beyond the diving Asmir Begovic.

Thirty-five minutes had elapsed before Jamie O’Hara had the visitors’ first shot on target, but Robert Green was always behind the Tottenham loanee’s curling 30-yard free-kick.

Tal Ben Haim also had an effort from distance, but Portsmouth looked like the league’s bottom club and Jimenez and Jack Collison caused them some concern before the break.

West Ham went very close to scoring on the resumption. The lively Jimenez, a first-half replacement for the injured Mark Noble, had a shot from the edge of the area deflected off Steve Finnan and Asmir Begovic did brilliantly to tap it around his left-hand post for a corner.

Diamanti saw Begovic off his line and attempted a 40-yard lob, but it was a little wide of the target.

Nwankwo Kanu was introduced for the visitors at half-time, in place of Aruna Dindane, and his clever flick almost set Frédéric Piquionne free, but Green was alive to the danger. Another substitute, Kevin-Prince Boateng, hit the side netting and shot straight at Green as a retreating West Ham invited Portsmouth to attack.

With Kanu on the pitch, Piquionne was not so isolated and the Frenchman showed his quality on 79 minutes, when he controlled a high ball under pressure from James Tomkins and eluded Matthew Upson before shooting too close to Green.

West Ham finally awoke in the closing 10 minutes and Collison and Valon Behrami, back after a month out injured, went close. Behrami linked up exquisitely with Parker and squeezed a shot just wide as the match became more stretched.

West Ham put the game beyond Portsmouth – and increased the gap at the bottom of the table – when Kovac got above Ben Haim to head Jimenez’s free-kick home from five yards out.

Premier LeagueWest Ham UnitedPortsmouthMikey Staffordguardian.co.uk