Ogbonna hails West Ham spirit

Angelo Ogbonna hailed the spirit within the West Ham United squad after the club's 2-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday.

The former Juventus defender was a pillar of strength at the back for West Ham as the club continued its assault on the Premier League top-six.

"This was a great result and a really good game, because we have taken six points at home in no time and we are very happy," he said.

"It was a really good clean sheet for me and for 'Ginge' [James Collins], who was the man of the match, and for the whole team. We prepared really well for this game, so we’re really grateful.

"It was a 100 per cent a team performance. Everybody was really good in every situation – strikers, midfielders, wingers, defenders – for 90 minutes, nobody rested and we scored two fantastic goals."

Ogbonna said the team spirit was personified by captain Collins, who Ogbonna - an Italy international - rated among the best he has played with.

"'Ginger' has real fire! His temper is really hard and really warm, not just as a player but as a character. He can show us what he wants, because he is so emotional," Ogbonna said.

"We have a lot of good defenders who are really good in the air and in the tackle and everything, not just 'Ginge' but 'Tomo' [James Tonkins] and 'Reidy' [Winston Reid] too."