Matthew Upson was as disappointed as anyone in the Boleyn Ground as Tottenham Hotspur struck a late second to kill off any hope of a West Ham United comeback in the London derby.
The England international led a solid defensive unit that stood firm until Spurs captain Ledley King headed his side in front with 22 minutes remaining before Jamie O'Hara added a killer second at the death late on Monday night.
The central defender believes that as frustrating as the result was, a small change of luck could lead to a big shift in fortune for the team.
"We've not really had the rub of the green at home this season and I thought the first-half was quite level," he said. "It was a bit of a scrappy affair but there wasn't a lot in it and it could have gone either way. We're just disappointed we've not taken anything - we were so close to levelling up and taking a point apiece but it wasn't to be and it's just a disappointing evening for us."
The 29-year-old believes the upcoming 'important run' of games are crucial to defining West Ham United's season, with thoughts already turning to Sunday's second consecutive London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
"There are a lot of teams right in the thick of it. This period building up to and through Christmas is really going to put distance between teams who are looking good and heading for the top and those who are going to be at the bottom of the table. So it's going to be an important run of results for us, we have to work hard and stick to what we believe in and grind some results out."
"Chelsea is definitely a game we want. We've been solid enough to go to places like that and get something from the game so I've got belief that we can do that and I'm sure the players and the manager do too. It's a huge game and they way we've been playing defensively and our organisation has been good there's no reason why we can't get something."