Slaven Bilic believes his side's 1-0 victory over Sunderland was 'extremely important'and denied any suggestion that Winston Reid's goal was offside.
The defender smashed home a late winner at the London Stadium with virtually the last kick of the game as West Ham finally broke the deadlock in what was a competitive game. The win will have eased the pressure on Bilic and his players, who have struggled in many of their home matches this season.
Adapting to anew stadium has proven difficult fortheHammers and saw them go on a miserable run of form which left them close to the relegation zone. Thankfully for Bilic, who found himself under intense pressure just a few weeks ago,his side have now chalked up back-to;back 1-0 wins meaning they now sit15th in the table.
Speaking toSky Sportsafter Saturday's match, the West Ham manager was quick to highlight the significance of the victory over Sunderland.
He said:"It was extremely important for us.Nothing can lift you like a win, confidence wise.
To get six points in two games and keep clean sheets is a big boost for us. We kept trying, kept the shape and were rewarded with the goal.
"We pushed a bit more in the last 15 minutes, changed a few things, and we just deserved it.
The unlikely winner from Winston Reid, came about following a short corner that the visitorswere slow to react to and the Hammers' boss noted that it may have been the key moment that unlocked a stubborn Black Cats' defence.
GOAL West Ham 1-0 Sunderland (90+4 mins). Reid is the Hammers hero as he drills into the net from 20 yards with his left foot #WHUSUN
Bilic added:"It was a bit of an unusual way to score a goal, not a training ground combination.But they made a bit of a mistake because they were all in the box and expected a cross and it was a good decision from Dimi [Dimitri Payet] and Mark Noble to pass it and come in to a good area without them pressing up.
"It was a great strike, unusual but very important for us."
The Croatian continued to discuss the match winning goal as he refuted claims that Reid's effort should have been disallowed for offside.
He said: "It's not offside, it's very difficult to see but I wanted to have a look and if you freeze the picture you can see (Jonathan) Calleri's boots were not in an offside position. I can feel for them but it wasn't offside."
Bilic will hope this latest victory can inspire his team in their upcoming EFL cup fourth round match against local rivalsChelsea.
Tuesday's matchwill be the first time the Blues have visited the Londonstadium, so the Hammers' faithfulwill be desperate for their team to win andmake it a memorable first derby at their new home.