Manuel Pellegrini Hails West Ham Display in Man Utd Win But Warns Against Complacency
Manuel Pellegrini has praised his side's performance after they triumphed 3-1 over Manchester United at the London Stadium.
The victory was their second in as many games, following their emphatic 8-0 victory over League Two side Macclesfield Town in the Carabao Cup and ensured they went four matches unbeaten in all competitions, after four consecutive league defeats.
Pellegrini referred back to his team's disappointing run of results and recalled his desire for his side to play as a 'big team', which he believed West Ham achieved.
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He said, via the club's website: "It was a very good game because I remember what I said three weeks ago when we were losing games, that we had to play as a big team and I think what we did today reflected that.
"Today we played as I like my team to play – as a big team trying to get to the other box. We scored three goals and we missed a lot of opportunities in the second half because we tried to play a little bit [too] fast."
Despite the quality of their opposition in recent matches, the Chilean believed in his side's ability and insisted that they didn't need to sit back and play defensively to earn a result.
"We are improving and we must continue in the same way. Just because you are playing against Chelsea or Manchester United, you don’t have to play with everyone at the back to get a result."
Pellegrini also mentioned the support the Hammers received from their fans and dedicated the victory to them, who stuck by the team despite four successive defeats at the start of the season.
He added: "One of the things I was delighted for in the way we played today was the West Ham fans. We started with four defeats, but I always felt the fans were behind the way we were working and this is a gift for them."
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The east London outfit, who claimed seven points from three difficult matches against Everton, Chelsea and now Manchester United, travel to Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday. However, Pellegrini was cautious and warned against his side from becoming overconfident in what might be a formality against the Seagulls.
"I remember the questions of the media when we had fixtures against Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United and people thinking we wouldn’t get any points, but football is different. We continued working because I saw every day in the week that the players believe in what we are doing.
He added: "We are in a good moment with good results, but it’s a difficult moment too because if you think you are going to beat Brighton just because you have beaten Manchester United, you will lose."
