Gianfranco Zola has described the 2-0 win against Sunderland as the best victory since he arrived at the club.
After losing Scott Parker and Radoslav Kovac in the run-up to the game, Zola was forced to switch Lucas Neill into central midfield and bring in Junior Stanislas for his first start. The gamble paid off as his team responded with a composed and passionate display to move win three points clear in the race for seventh place, ahead of Wigan's meeting with Everton on Sunday.
"Considering all the difficulties before this match - with it being an international break and I've had two players - Jonathan and Lucas Neill - that didn't train and only came back yesterday. So with other players away and so many injuries I can say that this has been the best victory of all," he said.
The 19-year-old Stanislas responded by opening the scoring two minutes before half-time before fellow Academy graduate James Tomkins - who got the nod ahead of the fit-again James Collins - ensured the win with a thumping header in the 52nd minute. The performance of the pair was central to a fifth game unbeaten for Zola's side, but there were consistent displays throughout the side.
"It's good to see the young players like Junior Stanislas and James Tomkins doing so well. It's good because we need new strength and new injuries and they can help us achieve what we want to achieve.
"I was very impressed [with the youngsters]. Tomkins I knew, he has been playing for a while and I had no problems with him. Junior was a surprise as I knew about his qualities and technical skills and qualities. I didn't know about his mental strength. Today it was tough, he looked like he was a veteran so it was a good point for him and a good point for me also.
Neill took to his new role in the centre of the park - which was Zola's decision on the day of the game - with the professionalism one might expect from a West Ham and Australia captain. His performance certainly came as no surprise to his manager.
"He is a very intelligent player. I've played him right-back, left-back and I've played him centre-back and he's always done a good job. He's intelligent and has got good technical abilities so I was confident he would do a good job - it came off the cuff and was such a pleasant thing.
"When you have such fantastic team spirit, when a player comes in it is very easy for them to do the job. I can tell you that Luis Boa Morte was amazing, running and chasing with real quality. When you have these conditions it is easy to do the job."
Zola also had further good news on the condition of Jonathan Spector, who caused some concern after requiring lengthy treatment on the Boleyn Ground turf after landing awkwardly when challenging for a high ball. The US defender went to hospital and was due to be kept under observation over the weekend.
"He has got concussion. He lost a little a bit of consciousness and he lost his short-term memory. He is fine and they are confident it is not going to be a big problem. He couldn't remember much of it but he was fine. He doesn't remember me which is a good thing! But he is OK and shouldn't be too bad."