James Ward-Prowse was full of praise for West Ham United’s tenacity and resilience in taking all three points at Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite going a goal down early on in north London, courtesy of Cristian Romero’s header on eleven minutes, the Hammers showed tremendous heart to withstand the attacking onslaught from their hosts before turning the match on its head in the second half.
First, Jarrod Bowen was in the right position to capitalise on a slice of fortune, as Mohammed Kudus’ shot fell kindly for him, allowing the No20 to blast in his 50th finish in Claret and Blue.
Then Ward-Prowse was equally well-placed to slot in at the second attempt on 74 minutes, securing a hard-fought 2-1 win for the visitors.
“It’s a good result and a good performance,” Ward-Prowse said. “A lot of pre-game preparation was around them and their qualities but we know what we’re about as a team. I think that epitomised what we’re about as a squad and as a Club.
“By our standards, Tottenham got a disappointing goal from a set-piece. But we were always in the game at 1-0 and, of course, the next goal is so important. We got back in the game in with a well worked goal, a really important one, and we dug deep and got a deserved three points.
“The manager wanted us to be hard to beat. I don’t think we played too badly in the first half. We had to be clinical on the counter attack, and we certainly were.”
With his finish, Ward-Prowse is up to 12 goal involvements in 20 West Ham United appearances since joining from Southampton. While the No7 admitted to never scoring one quite in that way before, the 29-year-old was thrilled to find the net.
The midfielder was also full of praise for fellow goalscorer Bowen. Not just for his finish, but his hard work in leading the line for the side.
“I think it says a lot about Jarrod as a player, his personality and his work-rate. People don’t see the work he does off the ball. He leads the line very well and he’s deserving of his goals at the moment.
”I’ve never scored a goal like that before. To be honest, I was more concerned with not hitting Jarrod! But thankfully it went in and sometimes you get that luck, and it went in for us.”
The No7 thoroughly enjoyed celebrating his first win over Tottenham as a West Ham player.
“It was fantastic, and I took a moment when we were all with the fans to take it all in,” he smiled. “I think you get caught up in the emotions sometimes so to stand back and see what it meant to the lads with the fans and everybody in the stands.
“It was a fantastic feeling and that's what we do it for. The hard work and sacrifices we all make are for those moments."
The win means the Irons are now unbeaten in six matches in all competitions, and Ward-Prowse is full of pride for the form West Ham find themselves in.
Thursday’s match-winner is now eager for the side to carry that form into Sunday’s game at Fulham and throughout a busy festive fixture schedule.
“Winning games like this is a sign of where the Club is,” he added. “That momentum has carried on from the European success last season and it’s fantastic to be a part of.
“We’re in a really good position right now and now it’s about following this result up with another one.”
