A superb performance from Peter Halmosi inspired Plymouth to a 1-0 win over Ian Holloway's Leicester side in a fiery Championship encounter.

Plymouth chairman Paul Stapleton's extraordinary outburst against Holloway - who left Argyle for City last November - in midweek fuelled an incendiary atmosphere at the Walkers Stadium.

And Halmosi's composed 34th-minute strike ensured that his former manager endured a torrid 90 minutes as Holloway's new side slipped dangerously close to the drop zone.

Stapleton published a six-page statement on the club's official website on Wednesday which blamed the loss of five key players in the January transfer window on decisions and promises made by Holloway before his own defection to the Foxes.

Holloway's insistence that the game should not be about him was always likely to fall on deaf ears and he found himself on the end of constant barracking from the impressively large away support.

Argyle may have lost the nucleus of their squad last month but in Halmosi they possess a player of genuine quality and his cool strike left the Foxes just three points above the bottom three.

Halmosi came within inches of a spectacular goal midway through the first half.

He cut in from the right and with limited options launched a venomous 20-yard drive with the outside of his left foot which swerved away from goalkeeper Ben Alnwick but narrowly wide of the far corner.

Steve MacLean then went close with another long-range strike before Halmosi illuminated the game with two moments of quality.

First the Hungarian embarked on a mazy run which took him past three defenders before he was fouled and then he opened the scoring from the following dead ball.

Paul Connolly's ball in was headed down by Krisztian Timar, Jermaine Easter was blocked as he attempted to volley and the ball ran to Halmosi on the right-hand side of the six-yard box who made no mistake in sweeping home under Alnwick.

Halmosi's class was as evident as it was unique and he went close to doubling Holloway's grief in stoppage-time but fired into the side-netting after a clever lay-off from Easter.

The winger then provided the first moment of menace after the break when he effortlessly glided past two defenders but Patrick Kisnorbo did well to block his shot from the edge of the area.

Steve Howard should have equalised in the 54th minute but headed Stephen Clemence's corner on to the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box before Alnwick had to be alert to prevent an own goal at the other end when Kisnorbo turned Jim Paterson's low shot on goal.

Half-time substitute DJ Campbell spurned another good chance for the hosts when he shanked his shot horribly wide from the edge of the area before more magic from Halmosi gave Easter a chance at the other end.

The winger received the ball from a throw-in, juggled the ball five times on his instep with James Chambers at his back before swivelling and firing in a low cross which Easter failed to convert.

Holloway's second sub Zsolt Laczko should have equalised with 20 minutes remaining but headed over from inside the six-yard box after Howard nodded another Clemence corner back across goal.

And Laczko was almost immediately punished for his profligacy when Easter went close to doubling the lead.

Connolly's routine punt downfield played the Wales striker clean through on goal and with Kisnorbo scrabbling to recover he fired in a rasping drive from 16 yards which Alnwick athletically palmed away for a corner.

Argyle sub Lee Hodges then appeared to handle after another Clemence free-kick and sub Matty Fryatt and defender Gareth McAuley both forced McCormick into saves but Sturrock's men hung on to record a win which could put Holloway under real pressure.

Team Talk / Eurosport