Freddie downs Spurs

Frederic Piquionne headed West Ham United to their first Barclays Premier League victory of the season courtesy of a 1-0 win over local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The France forward rose highest to nod Mark Noble's left-wing corner into the far corner of the net, paving the way for a morale-boosting success.

However, it took an outstanding display from England goalkeeper Robert Green to keep Tottenham at bay, with the No1 making one world-class save to tip Luka Modric's fiercely-struck volley onto the underside of the crossbar.

A pulsating match saw both teams create chance after chance, with the pair combining to unleash an amazing 26 shots on target during an absorbing 90 minutes.

Victor Obinna, fresh from opening his account for the club at Sunderland, came close to adding to his tally after just 30 seconds, racing on to Piquionne's flick-on before dragging a left-foot shot wide of Carlo Cudicini's goal.

The Nigerian's opportunity set the tone for the remainder of the game - Rafael van der Vaart and Kieron Dyer both saw shots deflected narrowly wide before Piquionne tested Cudicini with a powerful drive that the Italian could only punch to safety.

Green was called into action for the first time on 15 minutes, flinging himself to his left to keep out a Jermaine Jenas piledriver before doing likewise to keep Aaron Lennon at bay six minutes later.

The goalkeeper's heroics were rewarded a short time later when Dyer won a corner, Noble delivered and Piquionne rose above Sebastien Bassong to divert the ball past Cudicini.

The goal was met by loud cheers from all corners of the stadium - including the Executive Box playing host to Russell Brand, Noel Gallagher, David Walliams and other members of the comedian's stag party.

Having gone in front, West Ham remained on the offensive, with Lars Jacobsen and Scott Parker both going close to doubling the hosts' advantage.

However, it was Tottenham who came closest to scoring the game's second goal seven minutes before the break, only for Green to make an absolutely miraculous save to keep out Modric's shot before the ball bounced to safety.

Into the second half and Spurs attempted to get back on level terms, only for Tom Huddlestone to miss a golden opportunity to equalise ten minutes after the interval. The England midfielder looked odds-on to score when he rounded Green, only to slice his shot horribly wide of the gaping net.

The Hammers took heart from the miss, going on the offensive again as the match approached its crucial final stages. Luis Boa Morte screwed an effort wide, Carlton Cole saw his well-struck shot kept out by a diving Cudicini before Pablo Barrera's low cross caused havoc inside the Tottenham six-yard box.

Manager Grant was delighted with his side's all-round performance and to get one over old friend Harry Redknapp.

"I like that we are playing good football, we have a vision about the players. We know that we don't have the money [of many rival clubs] because of the debt, so we took hungry players that want to succeed. We took players that can develop the team.

"We played against a very good team in Tottenham and a good manager. I know how much this means to the fans. We are living to make the fans happy.

"It is a good feeling to win any game. Since the first day of the season, I knew we were playing well and would get the results we need. In football, people have to be patient and not make quick judgements. As long as you see effort and progress, you will get the rewards.

"Last season was traumatic for this club and we know it will take time to change the mentality. We are doing everything right and it is important that we have stuck to our way. We have a long way to go."