'Never thought I'd say this' - West Ham fans won over by 23-year-old after display v Tottenham

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Published on:

06 May 2017, 5:33 am

By Harry Sykes

Jonathan Calleri spearheaded the West Ham attack in their 1-0 win over Tottenham on Friday - and fans took to Twitter to praise the striker.

Calleri played 89 minutes of the London Stadium encounter and led the line manfully in a match decided by a second-half Manuel Lanzini goal.

The victory for the Hammers guaranteed their Premier League survival and at the same time delivered what could be a killer bow to the title hopes of Tottenham.

Argentine, Calleri, 23, has struggled to make an impact at West Ham during his season-long loan, with his 18 matches yielding a single goal.

His return has prompted criticism from supporters, who have questioned whether he is of the calibre required for a Premier League striker.

Calleri did not get on the scoresheet against Tottenham but his energy and commitment to the cause was widely praised by the West Ham faithful.

Here is a selection of their messages on Twitter:

Calleri, Fonte and Ayew have all been mugged off, but tonight they were all phenomenal. Superb. Stupendous win. #WHUFC
— David Bowden (@Bowdenwhu) May 5, 2017

What a fantastic night, it's happened again!! If only Calleri's finishing matched his effort though! #COYI #WHUFC #WHUTOT pic.twitter.com/PRkuSJ983X
— Prince Far I (@RookieBH) May 5, 2017

We saw the real Jonathan Calleri #WHUTOT a player who can only get better if given a run of games. Not the worst player ever to play #WHUFC
— Poison Gaz 🍉 (@poisongaz) May 6, 2017

Thought Adrian, fonte, lanzini, noble and calleri deserve a mention. Solid throughout. A proper team performance. #WHUFC
— Dean Barnes (@DeanoBarnes) May 6, 2017

West Ham's win helped them lift their points haul to 42 and climb to ninth in the table.

Spurs, who have all but secured second position, remain four points adrift of Chelsea with just three matches of their campaign remaining.

Antonio Conte's team need just two wins from their last four games, starting with Monday's home clash against Middlesbrough, to ensure they will win the title.

In other West Ham news, the club's supporters have gone berserk after one of the team's best players dropped a massive hint on social media that he is quitting within weeks.

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Jonathan Calleri