Credit where it’s due!
Manuel Pellegrini told us Spurs were a team that could be beaten and so it turned out.
Not many would have gone to the North Londoners new stadium expecting every much even given injuries and a Champions league semi final on the Spurs agenda.
But the Hammers made sure “it happened again” with a performance which was well worth victory after spending most of the first half on the back foot.
It would be interesting to know precisely what the manager said to the lads at half time because they cam out with a serious edge on them and Marko Arnautovic a notably different player.
And although it was tense, after Michail Antonio’s goal there was little to worry is in real terms until Fabian Balbuena produced a wonder clearance off the line in the dying seconds.
The footballing gods were this time on our side and the lads came away with a victory wehich had the boss as close to drooling as he can get.
He told the official club website: “I feel that we played a big game because we defended well, because we attacked well, because we played in a way I always say this team needs to play, as a big team, to go to every stadium and try to win the game.
“That was what we did today, and especially for the fans we know Tottenham is our major rival, so the fans must be very happy.
“First the result is satisfying, because we deserved to win both the last two games and for different reasons we couldn’t do it, but I always said that we were playing really well and we deserved more.
“Today, we were a complete team, all defending together without the ball and the second part for me it what I like, the team trying to win.
“We tried to score more goals, you saw the characteristics of our players, and I’m happy about that.”
Pellegrini was also happy for Marko Arnautovic, who laid on Antonio’s 67th minute winner.
“Arnautovic was very good. I spoke with him at half-time that he was running too far from the ball and he must come to the ball to support it.
“He made a brilliant pass to assist Antonio for the goal, he participated more in the game and it has been a difficult season for Marko but I’m sure we can recover the player we know he can be.”