By Conor Hogan

West Ham beat Spurs 2–1 at the weekend and have now won back-to-back games in all competitions for the first time since November.

The victory was a massive result for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, who have closed the gap to five points between themselves and safety. The Irons genuinely played well and, although Spurs piled on the pressure in the second half, West Ham deserved all three points in North London.

It has been a positive week for the Hammers, who also progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup following a 2–1 win over QPR last weekend. New signing Taty Castellanos scored his first West Ham goal to secure victory in that game and followed it up with another encouraging performance against Spurs.

While the headlines will rightly go to Castellanos and Callum Wilson for their decisive moments against QPR and Tottenham respectively, another attacker who deserves significant credit is West Ham’s other new signing, Pablo Felipe.

The 22-year-old made his Premier League debut on Saturday and impressed. The Brazilian is still raw and a little rusty – his first touch let him down at times – but his work rate was excellent and his tenacity both in and out of possession helped drive the Irons forward against Thomas Frank’s side.

Pablo also produced some superb hold-up play throughout the match, including in the build-up to Crysencio Summerville’s opener. For a young player with no previous experience of the physicality of English football, he showed real strength against Spurs’ defenders and consistently brought others into play.

He is far from the finished article and will need time to settle, but the early signs are encouraging for the former Gil Vicente man. In many ways, the partnership between Pablo and Castellanos has made the difference for West Ham over the last two games. Both have shown determination, energy and flashes of genuine quality.

With Lucas Paquetá seemingly edging closer to a departure from London Stadium, Pablo could yet prove to be a solid – and potentially more progressive – long-term option in the attacking unit. He will probably frustrate supporters at times, but he already looks to have a strong mentality and a presence in duels that West Ham have lacked up front since the prime years of Michail Antonio.

He may not be the focal point that Castellanos or Wilson are, but Pablo could turn out to be a surprisingly influential player for the Hammers between now and the end of the season.