Edson Álvarez praised the positive attitude of the Hammers squad as West Ham United stayed top of UEFA Europa League Group A with a 1-0 win over Olympiacos on Thursday evening.
The Greek side frustrated David Moyes’ men until Lucas Paquetá added some much-needed heat to a cold November night at London Stadium.
The No10's strike saw the Hammers edge a tie that looked set to finish goalless until the winner hit the net on 74 minutes, securing a deserved three points for the hosts.
I think [attitude] is the most important,” Álvarez explained. “My teammates have the quality but sometimes we need to give the extra power because I know we can do it.
“Mentality is very important. To keep running. To keep fighting. And then when we have the ball…we can create.
"It was a hard game, especially against this team. We knew they would sit very compact and it was difficult to play balls between the lines.
“But we spoke at half-time that we have to pass the ball [quicker], and move the ball from side to side and at the end, we get a very important three points.
“We spoke about it and today we have turned it around and I think the team showed [the right attitude] all the time and that we want to win.”
For long periods, the game looked to be fading away from the Hammers, although Álvarez praised a moment of magic that brought West Ham’s winner.
James Ward-Prowse got out the pitching wedge to find Paquetá. And while an offside flag cut the Brazilian’s celebrations short, a VAR check sent Paquetá back wheeling away in front of the Hammers faithful, dancing to the tune of the Hammers' third victory of this European campaign.
The Hammers are now well-placed to top Group A, according to the Mexico midfielder.
“It was very good pass from James as well,” Álvarez agreed. “We all know the quality of Lucas and he got us the three points.
“Now, it is up to us [to secure top spot]. A very special night and three points, so we are very happy.”
