Zola backed by his team as win finally arrives

Valon Behrami insists the West Ham squad is 100 per cent behind Gianfranco Zola after they finally eased pressure on the Hammers boss.

Behrami's first Premier League goal sealed a priceless 1-0 victory at Sunderland to end a seven-game winless streak and lift the gathering storm clouds at Upton Park.

The Swiss international said: "It was a vital win for us and it's a performance and a result that shows the team are fully 100 per cent behind the manager. Hopefully this win takes the pressure off a little.

"Two months without a win made it difficult to go onto the training ground and this is just what we wanted. The manager has stuck to what he believes in and he hasn't panicked.

"We'll come out of this experience stronger for it. We're not out of this difficult situation yet but this shows we're heading in the right direction."

But Behrami admits the Hammers can't afford to get carried away with the win as they face Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea in the next few weeks.

The 23-year-old, who needed treatment for an ankle injury after the game, added: "This is just one win and we have to build on it. We've got a really tough schedule looking at the next month so the hard work is just beginning."

West Ham needed plenty of luck en route to earning their first victory at the Stadium of Light in six years to take their post-war points tally to exactly 3000. Another referee could easily have awarded two first-half penalties against James Collins for fouls on Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cisse. Fortunately for Zola's men, Mike Dean did not.

Behrami took full advantage to fire home the winner from the edge of the area after 20 minutes with the aid of a big deflection.

How the Swiss international failed to double his and West Ham's tally shortly before the interval when he struck the bar from point-blank range after the impressive Bellamy robbed former Hammer Anton Ferdinand, only he will know.