Matthew Upson has praised West Ham United's spirit as they gave Premier League leaders Chelsea a real battle in the 1-1 draw at the Boleyn Ground on Sunday.
A penalty apiece had set the game on course for a thrilling finale, which saw both sides have chances to take all three points. In the end they both had to settle for just the one, although the fast and furious nature of the game provided plenty of entertainment for the neutrals among the Sky TV audience at home.
"It was a good game with a good tempo," Upson said. "We came out with a really good attitude and a resilient gameplan and we applied that so we are happy with that.
"Guille Franco up front and all over the midfield we worked so hard and that's what got us the result today. We have got to show that attitude now in every game and if we can achieve that we can pick up some points"
West Ham went into the break ahead thanks to Alessandro Diamanti's spot-kick and looked on top until Chelsea were awarded a penalty for what appeared to be a clean tackle by Upson on Daniel Sturridge.
"I got the ball 100 per cent," Upson said of the challenge. "I got the ball clearly so I'm very disappointed with the linesman's decision as it swayed the referee to give the penalty."
The point was all the more impressive for the Hammers as they had to overcome the early setback of losing Danny Gabbidon to a hamstring injury. Although he was ably deputised for by James Tomkins from the bench, Upson is still hoping for a speedy recovery for his fellow central defender.
"We were only talking yesterday about the last time we played together. It's a shame to see Danny go off as he's had another decent run of games and hopefully he will be back and fit soon."
The result and performance will certainly give the Hammers a lift going into their next game - a crucial Boxing Day meeting with bottom of the table Portsmouth. Against the same opponents last season, a 4-1 Boxing Day win acted as a springboard to a thrilling run which saw the Hammers climb to finish a respectable ninth in the table.
"We can't focus on the results too much, we've got to focus on performances. If we do that and have no fear going into games and we're not thinking about losing or winning then the result will take care of itself.
"It can be a difficult game to call when you watch West Ham and we've got to work on that consistency. The one thing we need to have is that spirit and that attitude and if we have that it will carry us a long way."