Joe Hart believes fight and discipline can become hallmarks of David Moyes' West Ham after it came from behind to claim a 1-1 draw at home to Leicester City.
Marc Albrighton breached the England goalkeeper inside eight minutes but the lowly Hammers did not capitulate and drew level through Chiekhou Kouyate at the stroke of half-time.
West Ham held the upper hand for much of a physical, bruising contest but was unable to find the moment of quality to take three points and climb out of the relegation zone as a raucous Friday night crowd at London Stadium rallied behind them.
That vocal support and his team-mates' commitment to the cause after falling behind gave Hart reasons for optimism. "The manager has asked for quality, he wants goals but first and foremost he wants us to fight, be in shape and be disciplined," said the England goalkeeper.
READ: Kouyate gets Moyes up and running
"At Watford we lost 2-0 but we missed some big chances. Tonight the fans stuck with us and we put a big performance in.
"I didn't have a lot to do second half and it could have gone two ways. They [the fans] could have carried on hammering us but they got behind us. It meant the world to the players.
"Steam coming off the big man [Carroll] because he's ironing people out trying to score goals. That's what they want to see and the quality will come.
"It was an awful goal to concede but after that we were very well organised after that. It's a frustrating night for me. I wish we'd got three points."
Moyes echoed Hart's thoughts on the West Ham support, whose relationship with their team became increasingly fractious towards the end of Slaven Bilic's reign. "It was a start for us. It [London Stadium] has not been the best place for us. I thought the players' performance merited more and the crowd were fantastic.
"For all the negatives we've heard about the crowd I think it was the opposite. The team were great in the second half and that's why the crowd reacted so well.
"When you're low on confidence it's difficult and you need some things to go for you. They stuck at it and in the end we might have just nicked it."
Moyes added: "We've learnt that the players can run. If they haven't done it before they've now set the standard.
"We've only got a draw so we're going to have to play better with the ball when we get it."
Leicester boss Claude Puel held a similar view to Moyes — namely that his side should have taken the points. "It's disappointing because we had a lot of opportunities in the first half and we should have killed the game," he told reporters.
"In the second half it was more difficult to play. It's not a bad point but it's a pity we didn't get three."
Leicester's style appears more refined during its early days under Puel's management and he added: "Our play is very promising. We play well with the ball on the floor, we press our opponents well and create chances to score. Now we must start to be more clinical."
Comments
SHARE