WEST HAM boss Gianfranco Zola admits his team need to 'handle' games better after letting a two-goal lead slip against Hull City on Saturday.

The Hammers opened up a comfortable lead thanks to goals from Guillermo Franco and Jack Collison, but they still went into half-time 3-2 down after crumbling.

Defender Manuel Da Costa spared the team's blushes as he scored to level things up, but Zola admitted it was a concern that his side continue to let teams back in, after they did the same against Sunderland last month.

“Sometimes, we are handling the game a little bit bad when we are in control of it,” the Italian manager said after the game. “Sunderland was different because their guy (Andy Reid) put their free-kick in the top corner, but it was different because a deflection sent it (Hull's first goal) into the top corner.

“We know that we have to handle these things better and that's one of the things we're going to be talking about during the week.”

There were several positives for Zola to take from the trip to the KC Stadium however, as Franco continued to prove he is capable of being an important player for the Hammers.

“Franco has been very good for me,” said Zola. “I was certainly surprised that Villarreal didn't give him a contract but maybe there was something else there. He's proving to be a very good player for us.

“He is an excellent guy, he works very hard and, above all, he's a very intelligent player. He does the right things for the team and I'm really impressed with him.”