You’re safe…

I liked the sound of it before the game because it would have taken quite a big total for other teams to catch our goal difference and points, but the maths didn’t make it safe. Thankfully today the players put in a good job and thoroughly deserved a point.

Performance gives you optimism?

I think we’re moving in the right direction already, we’ve got some young players and good talent who I believe will improve and get better. I think we have to build West Ham up if we can and given time we will do that.

More your good performance or United bad?

I thought United were very good in the first half, I thought we were very slow and a little bit timid in our approach which certainly wasn’t the game plan. We grew into the game and got a penalty before half time which gave us big confidence that we could play well in the second half but I felt the period of the game after United scored was our best period. Some of the boys are looking disappointed that we came here and didn’t win but I have to say Manchester United played some good football.

Did you see handball it in real-time?

No, too far away. But by the reaction of the players… it certainly didn’t hit his face, if it hit his face it would have been a different reaction, I think when it hits your hand the players around you know. It is our first penalty kick, we’ve not felt we’ve had an awful lot of decisions.

Antonio, taking the penalty shows his confidence?

Mark Noble is the normal penalty taker but I thought today Micky taking it was the right choice, his goals have been big for us, we probably wouldn’t have been in such a good position without his goals. We’d been practising it in training the other day as well so I had a feeling that he’d be able to do it tonight if we got one.

What can you do with time to build now?

We’re under contract anyway so whether we were Premier Leauge or not I was going to be at West Ham unless the owners chose different.

Last time I only had a short contract so the owners were entitled to do what they wanted to do, this time I am under contract and I can see shoots of improvement, the owners can see shoots of improvement too and I think they understand the way we would like to go and the idea we have got.

I think there is a great opp to improve a great club with big ambitions. We’re not ready to fulfil them all, I’ve said it before but promise less and deliver more, we have to try and do that. We can’t go out and say we’re going to sign all the top players, we have to have a bit of time and sign good young players who are here for the future. So hopefully we can get those plans into place and start moving on now.

How is Jarrod Bowen?

He took a couple of kicks, he’d taken one just prior to that and we had started to get Yarmolenko ready but I have to say, I thought he was exceptional today.

He was threat every time he got the ball, we are just waiting for the goals to come with his play because he has been very good for us.

No concern then with his injury?

I don’t think so, not been told just yet by the medical team.

A suggestion that Michail Antonio’s penalty got him a little bonus…

The biggest reward is what Michail has given us is the goals that have kept us in the Premier League. Since he has come back from lockdown he has been in really good form, played very well so if there are any other side issues then I don’t know about it.

Ben Johnson, your assessment of his performances?

Today, I thought he improved greatly, even from his first game. He really stepped up and you have to say, he did a great job on Marcus Rashford. He played very well.

I thought he could have played better against Watford, I have to say, but for the boys first game in 16 months or so, to play how he did today was a massive improvement.

What has pleased you most about the performance?

The idea was to take the game to United from the off, we wanted to be pressing them high and getting around them but for some reason it didn’t start that way.

United were very good in the opening period, I think that was a response from their last result. We had to hang in a little bit but I thought we grew into it.

Importantly, when it went to one each, we improved and played very well in the second half for long periods.

What have you learned about your players in the last few weeks?

If you’ve not got certain qualities then you are going to struggle. The players have shown a lot since lockdown.

The biggest thing we had to do was to compete athletically improve our play greatly too.

There have been signs of good things and others not so good but I think since lockdown, the players have been good.

It wasn’t a true pre-season but probably was the first time we have had to work with the players to get them athletically better.

Also, the introductions of Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen have been massive for us.