Avram Grant was full of praise after his side recorded a tremendous 3-1 victory against Liverpool on Sunday.
The manager was elated after Scott Parker, Demba Ba and Carlton Cole struck at a packed Boleyn Ground - with "three great finishes" - to move the club to within a goal of moving out of the Barclays Premier League drop zone. The performance was all the more striking given the Reds' recent resurgence.
However, Grant was keen to stress first of all that his thoughts were with the Chairman David Gold, who was unable to attend the match. He is being treated in hospital for a stomach condition - cholangitis - as well as septicaemia, and missed his first match at Upton Park since 'coming home' to the club in January 2010.
The manager said: "First, I want you to know that our chairman is not feeling so well. I wish him all the best and hope he gets well soon. He's a good guy, and I'm sure he enjoyed the game today.
"He's such a positive and nice guy. I know that he saw the game and I've a feeling that he liked it. The game was good, we played well, scored three and could have scored more. I'm happy."
The manager said a stronger squad was beginning to pay dividends, while he also had words of praise for the likes of Matthew Upson and Scott Parker in showing great determination to play.
"Now there's more competition for places, and it's easier for us. [Before now] we missed Hitzlsperger. He was my first signing and, with all the power and intensity of football these days, our midfield is more complete with him in the side. Injuries are part of the game, but four days before the season started...it's amazing."
On Parker's pledge to play despite suffering with a shoulder problem from training on Saturday, the manager was full of superlatives. "We thought he couldn't play. But Scott is a special guy. The spirit he showed was great.
"Three hours before the game, we thought there was no way he would play. He did it five minutes before the end of training. But we didn't want to lose him. One of the things that happened with this team, despite the problems we've had, is that the spirit has been high.
"Scott is the best example of this. It was a bad, bad injury. He couldn't walk or move his arms. The medical department were sure he couldn't play, but they did a good job and gave him 24 hours of treatment.
"I prepared the game without him. He needed more than an injection, but the medical department did brilliantly with him. He's the type of player I like: he always gives 100%, is always positive."
With Stoke City visiting the Boleyn on Saturday, the manager is eager for back-to-back league wins to really underline his team's survival hopes. "This result shows the players what quality we have. We have that quality. We're not a team that should be down the bottom.
"Circumstances cause us to be there, but look at our football. We played football as if we weren't at the bottom. The players see that, when we do the right things, we're not easy to beat.
"We are coming now to the last ten games of the season. I don't remember a situation where the team who are bottom could still end up tenth. It's so tight. It's important that we win games to take us forward. It's not easy sometimes, but that's what we need to do."