Dimitri Payet believes Saturday’s dramatic 3-2 turnaround at Goodison Park was worth far more than three Barclays Premier League points.
Victory at Everton made it three wins in eight days for Slaven Bilic’s men, a run of form that has propelled the Hammers to within touching distance of the top four and Champions League football.
And Payet, who provided the cross for Diafra Sakho’s equaliser and then promptly dispatched the winner himself, said the manner of the success made it all the more significant with momentum firmly in the West Ham camp.
“One week and that’s nine points,” he told West Ham TV. “We've managed to take nine points, Sunderland, Tottenham and here at Everton. I think it's a decisive week in the league, we've got through it successfully and so we're very happy.
“These are the games that we're going to remember. It gives you confidence when you succeed in scoring at the end like that, it's really a delight.
“We felt it after the game with the supporters and in the dressing room we were really very happy. To leave an important game, a turning point in the season and we've taken these three points, and the manner in which we've done is even more enjoyable.”
Unsurprisingly, Payet pointed to Adrian’s penalty stop from Romelu Lukaku as the game’s critical moment, not least with the Hammers’ proven ability to claw their way back from losing positions.
He continued: “I think Lukaku's penalty gave us hope, because at 3-0 the match is finished. The fact that Adri saved the penalty kept us in the game.
“It's true that we're in the habit [of coming back], as we did at Norwich, and a few other times. As soon as we score we try to score on the back of it, and we were able to score three in quarter of an hour or so. It's exceptional and you must take advantage of it. It shows that we didn't give up and we were rewarded at the end.”
The Frenchman, who celebrated with the travelling supporters at the final whistle, insists the Hammers’ fine form is particularly pleasing in the context of a disappointing away day at Southampton.
The No27 confirmed that honest words were exchanged after the 1-0 defeat at St Mary’s in February and the response, he maintains, is testament to a group of players who, collectively, continue to grow in stature.
“After Southampton we were a little bit disappointed with this match and felt that we could have done better. We spoke of it just after the game, we were aware that we had to give more, we had to do more, and after that game the group has reacted well.
“I think that in those moments you see how the squad grows, the squad progresses, because it's true that the victory on Saturday was not handed to us, we had to seek it out.”