“We had a game plan and the guys executed it almost perfectly. We were great in the first half and really good in the second half and when we had to defend, we defended in numbers and we were good at keeping the ball.
“In transition we hurt them and could have scored more. It was a great win and a great performance and it was good to beat Chelsea.”
The Hammers continued with the system that proved so effective against Crystal Palace and Sunderland, with Kouyate slotting into the defence alongside Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna.
“He has got everything; stamina, he has got technique and skill and a good football brain and he should bring us a him a lot of qualities.”
Bilic believes the EFL Cup is a competition in which his outfit can go all the way and said: “You never know in a cup. We approached this competition with great ambition, that was obvious. If we play like this, we are capable of progressing.
“This is not only important for the competition but also for the Premier League. It gives you more confidence. We will be a little bit tired on the training ground, but then it’s going to be buzzing and from that we will be less tired.
“Now we have most our players back fit, we can do it, as a unit and a team. Now we have three wins on the spin. It’s always going to be ups and downs but we need to focus like we have done. I’m very optimistic of course.”
I agree – he was so assured and powerful last night. Great runs forward and excellent tracking back. Excellent and exciting prospect – speaking of which, is Reece Oxford over as a West Ham player?