Manuel Pellegrini nailed it in his after match verdict declaring: “Today we played as I like my team to play – as a big team trying to get to the other box.

“It was a very good game because I remember what I said three weeks ago when we were losing games, that we had to play as a big team and I think what we did today reflected that.

“We are improving and we must continue in the same way. Just because you are playing against Chelsea or Manchester United, you don’t have to play with everyone at the back to get a result.

We scored three goals and we missed a lot of opportunities in the second half because we tried to play a little bit [too] fast.

“They scored just one goal from a corner, so it’s a massive result and a massive performance.

“One of the things I was delighted for in the way we played today was the West Ham fans.

“We started with four defeats, but I always felt the fans were behind the way we were working and this is a gift for them.”

He added: “I remember the questions of the media when we had fixtures against Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United and people thinking we wouldn’t get any points, but football is different.

“We continued working because I saw every day in the week that the players believe in what we are doing.

“We are in a good moment with good results, but it’s a difficult moment too because if you think you are going to beat Brighton just because you have beaten Manchester United, you will lose.”