West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola was delighted with his team's attitude as they battled to an impressive 1-1 draw against table-topping Chelsea at Upton Park on Sunday.
The result left the Hammers in the bottom three but it was a performance that Zola hopes will prove to be a catalyst for their season.
The former Chelsea star said:"The attitude, the passion and the courage of my players was remarkable. It was a good starting point and it will affect everyone from now on.
"They were tired but they didn't look like it. They could have played another 90 minutes.
"In the past we played some good games but I never felt the atmosphere we had today. The players were encouraging each other, working off each other. It really was contagious.
"Everybody was involved in it. There was a positive feeling. It kept everyone very sharp.
"We knew the team in front of us were better than us so we had to give something more. That was the key factor.
"We played with passion and dragged the crowd on our side and that made the difference really. In football it is such an important thing."
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