Rob Green has paid tribute to his outfield team-mates after
Sunday's memorable 1-0 victory over Arsenal.
The Hammers goalkeeper produced another safe and solid display between the sticks to claim his first clean-sheet since breaking into the first team recently, but insists all credit must go to the guys in front of him, after Alan Pardew's men kept one of the Premiership's most feared strike-forces at bay.
"Defensively, it was an excellent performance," says Rob. "Gabbs was fantastic, Specs and Konch worked tirelessly up and down, and for George to come in and play out of position when Anton went off - then help to keep the likes of Henry and Van Persie quiet - showed the real quality that he has. In fact, I think it was the quietest game I've had since I came into the team!
"It's a bit ironic that my first clean-sheet has come against a team like Arsenal - but it hopefully shows that we are getting stronger all the time. We should have kept one against Blackburn last week, but it's a great achievement to do it against Arsenal, and hopefully we can do it again when we go to Middlesbrough next week.
"All in all, it was a fantastic performance by everyone," adds Rob. "We got the tactics right from the start, and after that the work-rate was superb.
"We stopped Arsenal playing in midfield and then, when we got the ball, we found space to create opportunities and cause them problems. In fact, overall, I thought we had more clear-cut chances, which is a great sign for the team.
"With five minutes to go, I think we probably would have taken a draw, but it was a fantastic goal, very well-worked, and it capped off a tremendous performance.
"I must admit, after Marlon had gone clean through a few minutes earlier and had his shot saved by Lehmann, I did think 'oh well, we'll settle for a point', but we kept going and got our reward in the end."
The Hammers goalkeeper produced another safe and solid display between the sticks to claim his first clean-sheet since breaking into the first team recently, but insists all credit must go to the guys in front of him, after Alan Pardew's men kept one of the Premiership's most feared strike-forces at bay.
"Defensively, it was an excellent performance," says Rob. "Gabbs was fantastic, Specs and Konch worked tirelessly up and down, and for George to come in and play out of position when Anton went off - then help to keep the likes of Henry and Van Persie quiet - showed the real quality that he has. In fact, I think it was the quietest game I've had since I came into the team!
"It's a bit ironic that my first clean-sheet has come against a team like Arsenal - but it hopefully shows that we are getting stronger all the time. We should have kept one against Blackburn last week, but it's a great achievement to do it against Arsenal, and hopefully we can do it again when we go to Middlesbrough next week.
"All in all, it was a fantastic performance by everyone," adds Rob. "We got the tactics right from the start, and after that the work-rate was superb.
"We stopped Arsenal playing in midfield and then, when we got the ball, we found space to create opportunities and cause them problems. In fact, overall, I thought we had more clear-cut chances, which is a great sign for the team.
"With five minutes to go, I think we probably would have taken a draw, but it was a fantastic goal, very well-worked, and it capped off a tremendous performance.
"I must admit, after Marlon had gone clean through a few minutes earlier and had his shot saved by Lehmann, I did think 'oh well, we'll settle for a point', but we kept going and got our reward in the end."