“Slaven Bilic hailed West Ham United’s team spirit yet again as the Hammers came from behind again to snatch a dramatic 3-2 Barclays Premier League win at ten-man Everton.
The Toffees looked odds-on to record a fourth-straight home Barclays Premier League win over the Hammers when goal in either half from nemesis Romelu Lukaku and Aaron Lennon put them 2-0 up.
When Alex Song was controversially penalised for tripping Muhamed Besic inside the West Ham penalty area with 21 minutes to go, the game looked up, only for Adrian to again show his penalty-saving prowess by saving from Lukaku.
That stop proved a massive turning point at Goodison Park as goals from Michail Antonio, substitute Diafra Sakho and finally Dimitri Payet – in the 90th minute – secured a third victory in the space of eight days in unforgettable style.
“It feels great!” said Bilic, who represented both clubs during his own playing career. “We don’t have a great record here – in fact we don’t have a record at all here, so to win here in such a way is amazing.
“This is happening not all, but a lot of the time and this is why English football is so attractive and so good, basically.
“The fact is that if they had scored the penalty we could have lost the game, I don’t know, three or four-nil but you can’t deny from the first minute that we were the better side and dominated and were a bit unlucky to go two down because they used their chances.
“Everton used the ball well and without it they didn’t really feel the loss of a man because they had Lukaku and he’s unbelievable. He’s a monster, he’s Lukaku and that’s why he cost that kind of money.
“We asked the boys, even at two-nil down, not to force the situation and at the end of the day they won the game. Nobody could say over the 90 minutes we didn’t deserve it, and that’s why it makes it so big and so great and why I’m so proud of our team.
“It’s the third time on the spin the guys off the bench have made such a big impact and that’s why it’s a great day for West Ham United.”
With a record-setting 49 points from 29 matches and his team sitting a point outside the UEFA Champions League places, Bilic could be forgiven for getting carried away.
Instead, he is keeping calm and composed, but at the same time knows his team can achieve good things this season.
With an Emirates FA Cup sixth-round tie to look forward to at Manchester United next weekend, the final weeks of the Farewell Boleyn season are shaping up to be something special.
“It feels like a special win psychologically,” the managed revealed. “We were a bit tired but we played good. In defensive transition we were not sharp enough maybe because we had such a big game on Wednesday night against Spurs, but I’m pleased with the win and the way we played.
“I was again proud of the way we were playing and it’s a great day for us, yeah!
“We go home now and I told the guys every game between now and the end of the season is a cup final for us, every one of them. We are thinking about the next game, which an isolated and special one, an FA Cup quarter-final.
“We have lots of cup finals and a lot to look forward to.”
The Toffees looked odds-on to record a fourth-straight home Barclays Premier League win over the Hammers when goal in either half from nemesis Romelu Lukaku and Aaron Lennon put them 2-0 up.
When Alex Song was controversially penalised for tripping Muhamed Besic inside the West Ham penalty area with 21 minutes to go, the game looked up, only for Adrian to again show his penalty-saving prowess by saving from Lukaku.
That stop proved a massive turning point at Goodison Park as goals from Michail Antonio, substitute Diafra Sakho and finally Dimitri Payet – in the 90th minute – secured a third victory in the space of eight days in unforgettable style.
“It feels great!” said Bilic, who represented both clubs during his own playing career. “We don’t have a great record here – in fact we don’t have a record at all here, so to win here in such a way is amazing.
“This is happening not all, but a lot of the time and this is why English football is so attractive and so good, basically.
“The fact is that if they had scored the penalty we could have lost the game, I don’t know, three or four-nil but you can’t deny from the first minute that we were the better side and dominated and were a bit unlucky to go two down because they used their chances.
“Everton used the ball well and without it they didn’t really feel the loss of a man because they had Lukaku and he’s unbelievable. He’s a monster, he’s Lukaku and that’s why he cost that kind of money.
“We asked the boys, even at two-nil down, not to force the situation and at the end of the day they won the game. Nobody could say over the 90 minutes we didn’t deserve it, and that’s why it makes it so big and so great and why I’m so proud of our team.
“It’s the third time on the spin the guys off the bench have made such a big impact and that’s why it’s a great day for West Ham United.”
With a record-setting 49 points from 29 matches and his team sitting a point outside the UEFA Champions League places, Bilic could be forgiven for getting carried away.
Instead, he is keeping calm and composed, but at the same time knows his team can achieve good things this season.
With an Emirates FA Cup sixth-round tie to look forward to at Manchester United next weekend, the final weeks of the Farewell Boleyn season are shaping up to be something special.
“It feels like a special win psychologically,” the managed revealed. “We were a bit tired but we played good. In defensive transition we were not sharp enough maybe because we had such a big game on Wednesday night against Spurs, but I’m pleased with the win and the way we played.
“I was again proud of the way we were playing and it’s a great day for us, yeah!
“We go home now and I told the guys every game between now and the end of the season is a cup final for us, every one of them. We are thinking about the next game, which an isolated and special one, an FA Cup quarter-final.
“We have lots of cup finals and a lot to look forward to.”