Jesse Lingard expresses delight with 'brilliant' start to his West Ham loan spell

Jesse Lingard has expressed delight with the start of his West Ham loan spell after his strike helped his new team beat Tottenham.

The Manchester United loanee netted a superb effort shortly after half-time on Sunday to fire West Ham into the Champions League spots - and soon reflected on his 'brilliant' experience in the capital so far.

Lingard wasted no time in hailing his team-mates for their welcome, before insisting that the high-flyers will continue to take their sensational season one step as a time.

'It's brilliant. All the lads have taken to me really well,' he told Sky Sports. 'I've settled in really quickly.

'I'm playing each game with a smile. I'm enjoying my football and winning games, that's the most important thing.'

The remarkable run for David Moyes' team continued at the expense of a below-par Tottenham, who are now languishing nine points behind their London rivals.

Michail Antonio scored the opening goal on just five minutes after ghosting in between goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and his shaky back line.

But it was the memorable moment of brilliance from Lingard that helped the hosts hold on and clinch the invaluable win, their 13th in the the top-flight this season.

A brief offside shout threatened to derail his effort against former boss Jose Mourinho before VAR finally deemed Pablo Fornals hadn't interfered with play.

'Everyone's got the same mindset and the same goal for the end of the season,' Lingard added. 'For us it's about sticking together as a team and, on days like this, working hard for the three points.'

The result also saw West Ham rocket to just a point behind United, Lingard's parent club, before their clash with Newcastle on Sunday evening.

However, the red-hot playmaker was keen to play down the importance of the standings at this stage.

He said: 'We don't look at the table too much. We want to take it game by game. It's an enjoyable position to be in.'