Kurt Zouma hailed the spirit in the camp after West Ham United bounced back from their EFL Cup exit to score a 2-0 Premier League victory over Manchester United on Saturday.
The Irons were left disappointed after being eliminated from the EFL Cup at Liverpool in midweek, but showed resolve, resilience and determination to notch their ninth win of the Premier League season and climb above the Red Devils in the table.
Captain Zouma was central to the win, returning to the side after being rested at Anfield to make a series of vital interceptions and clearances to help the Hammers keep consecutive Premier League clean sheets for the first time since October 2021.
West Ham’s latest victory takes them to 31 for 2023 – the second highest tally for a calendar year behind 1981 – and sends everyone associated with the Club into Christmas with welcome smiles on their faces.
“It feels great because this was a great win against a good team and a clean sheet as well, which is important for us,” he confirmed. “We keep grinding and we keep going now.
“It was a very, very tough game for us, especially after the game we had this week but, defensively, I think we were very solid. It was a solid game from everyone and everyone gave his all and everyone was fighting because this period was tough.
“We got rewarded this time with the win and the forward players made the difference today with their quality. They were very clinical and the team is going well and hopefully we keep going that way.”
Twice in recent weeks West Ham have conceded five goals in away defeats, at Fulham and Liverpool, but on both occasions the squad has bounced back to win the next game, against SC Freiburg to top UEFA Europa League Group A and now against Manchester United to move onto 30 points from 18 Premier League games played.
“The spirit is always there, the mentality is always there and we always fight for each other like a family,” Zouma explained. “That's what I always say and as you can see today, everyone went in the same direction and was fighting for every ball. We were patient, we had some tough moments, but we managed to dig deep and stay strong and get the win at the end.”
Saturday’s win came courtesy of goals from Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus and two assists for Lucas Paquetá.
“We had to do the job to stay compact and keep it solid, and the manager said at half-time that if we stay solid and don't concede then something's going to come, we were going to make a chance and that’s what happened,” the skipper continued. “Those three guys, you can see they have the freedom and the connection between them is very good and hopefully for us, it keeps going that way.”
A 16th success in 27 matches in all competitions this season means, despite the disappointment of that midweek defeat at Liverpool, the Irons can reflect on a positive season to date.
“We're playing well and doing well,” the No4 confirmed. “We've had a few tough moments, but everyone has. The most important thing is going the same direction, keeping the same spirit and positivity and I think that's what we're doing at the minute and hopefully we keep going up.”
