WEST HAM boss Gianfranco Zola could not hide his delight after winning a ‘six-point game’ against Portsmouth at Upton Park on Boxing Day.

An Alessandro Diamanti first-half penalty was later reinforced by a Radoslav Kovac header to secure three points that saw the Hammers climb out of the relegation zone.

Zola admitted it was a ‘massive’ result for his team. “It was a fantastic win. Massive, I tell you,” he said. “I rated this as a six-point game because it was so important for the table, for the morale, to give a bit of consistency and for the crowd. I’m pleased for the boys as they won it with a lot of character and it will be a big boost for everybody.

“I enjoyed it very much. A victory is a victory and when you are involved like I am you enjoy it very much. We are all emotionally involved and I am the first one. We are building something here that will give us belief of what we are doing. It was massive.”

Zola also witnessed another masterclass in the centre of the park from Scott Parker, who continues to stake his claim for a place on the plane to South Africa for next summer’s World Cup finals.

“The importance of Scott Parker I cannot even measure,” said the Italian. “For enthusiasm and the way he leads by example.”

He also had praise for goalscorer Kovac. “I must mention Kovac, who was outstanding. The last two games he has been incredible. I was more delighted than him, trust me. The goal was the final touch but the whole game was massive. He was digging in.”