Manuel Lanzini’s strike snatched victory for West Ham and means that if Chelsea beat Middlesbrough on Monday and follow it up with another victory over West Brom in six days’ time, Antonio Conte’s side will already be out of sight before Tottenham kick another ball.
“To win the league you need to show at key moments and today was a key moment where we could show that we could be champions,” Mauricio Pochettino said.
“It is not about playing well, or running more or less. It is about, ‘if you have to win, you win’. If you want to be the champion, there are games you just must win. How? I don’t know?
“I don’t think today was our best performance but football is a game where you can win and lose and today we lost. But that does not change my vision of my players.
“Today was a game that was difficult and the moment you concede a goal, it is difficult. But in the end I am calm.”
And Eric Dier admitted that they now face Mission “nearly impossible”.
“It was already going to be hard and now it’s even harder,” he said. “It’s disappointing. We were on a fantastic run. “They made it very hard for us, they played very deep and we didn’t create enough chances.
“We managed to bring it back to four points but after that result, it’s nearly impossible. We will give it everything for the last three games.”
Victory also put West Ham mathematically safe from relegation and their best night yet at their controversial new home gave under-pressure manager Slaven Bilic the perfect boost.
Captain Mark Noble said: “Slaven Bilic has my full backing – he’s a great man. What a game to be safe in.”
