Cheikhou Kouyate played a pivotal role in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Burnley, winning the penalty which Mark Noble converted to seal the points.
Kouyate was sent sprawling in the box by a 24th minute tackle from Michael Duff, who also saw red after referee Jonathan Moss deemed him to be denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
The Senegal international was delighted to see Noble hit the back of the net and even happier to claim an overdue three points.
He said: “We needed the win on Saturday as the last three games hadn’t gone our way. It was a difficult game, but we got the points and that’s very important for the top ten.
“It was a very good combination for the penalty. Enner gave me a good ball, I went to the left side, the defender came and touched me as I went inside.
“It was a good feeling [to help set up the goal] and it was an important victory for us.”
After the game, Kouyate was presented with a Player of the Year award from the Swedish Hammers and he is happy to have made an impact so quickly with his new club.
He added: “I want to say thank you to the Swedish fans who gave me this award and I’m very happy to win it.
“My first season at West Ham for me has been a good season, and next year I will work to be better.
“English football was always my dream and West Ham have given me the chance to play in England so I am very happy. All the players have helped me, the staff, everybody and the fans too. The atmosphere here is fantastic.”