No Payet, no problem for Hammers
Slaven Bilic branded West Ham "magnificent" after they shrugged off Dimitri Payet's absence to sink Crystal Palace 3-0 on Saturday.
Payet rocked the Hammers earlier last week by asking to leave the club and refused to play against the Eagles.
But Sofiane Feghouli's first Premier League goal, Andy Carroll's stunning bicycle-kick and a stylish late third from Manuel Lanzini ensured the France star was not missed in the slightest.
Indeed, West Ham actually put on their best display of the season while their so-called talisman kicked his heels elsewhere.
And Bilic was eager to put the spotlight on the players who proved their commitment to the club, rather than the wantaway star, whose image outside the stadium needed a steward to protect it from potential vandalism.
"It was a great day for us," said the Hammers boss. "I would like to praise the players, they showed everything we asked them for. I would say we were magnificent.
"They wanted to show commitment, determination, willpower and effort to win the game and that's what they did, all of them.
WELL DONE
"I can call it almost the perfect result. Well done to the lads and to the crowd.
"Payet is a great player ,so you are losing quality, but the team showed it is about the team and not individuals.
"So let's talk about Carroll, or Darren Randolph, or Mark Noble. Michail Antonio had flu and a temperature of 38.4 last night.
"He showed brilliant determination, brilliant quality. That's what I want to talk about."
The result left Hammers boss Sam Allardyce still searching for his first win after five games with Palace. He said: "I didn't think we would collapse like we did, so it was a bit of a shock at the end looking at the scoreboard." - PA SPORT
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