Mark Noble scored the first after only three minutes to give the Hammers the best possible start. A rare goal from Joey O’Brien then gave the Hammers the cushion they needed as Norwich got a goal back with only a few minutes left on the clock.
Speaking after the game Sam Allardyce admitted he was pleased with the points but disappointed that his side didn’t convert more of their chances. “We’re probably glad their goal didn’t come with a few more minutes to go.”
“It’s a shame the score didn’t reflect the performance. The win was very important but it should have been about 4-1 or 5-1 based on the amount of chances we created and missed. It was an outstanding performance under the circumstances and an outstanding result.
“It should have been more but we got the three points and that was what we were looking for. We did it with really good football and some good finishing and some really good chances created and we’ve got that vital win.
“We got a little nervous when they popped that one in at the end. At 1-0 or 2-0, we’re bound to throw caution to the wind, which we did for the last five or ten minutes and they got the goal. But it really was a great win for us.”