West Ham United head coach Slaven Bilic has praised the players who have deputised for the Hammers' growing list of absentees.

The Croatian is without Dimitri Payet, Victor Moses, Diafra Sakho, Manuel Lanzini and Winston Reid but West Ham remain unbeaten in three following Saturday’s goalless draw at home to Stoke City.

West Ham might even have nicked a winner at the death but Cheikhou Kouyate saw his header punched over the bar by Jack Butland.

Speaking to the club’s website, Bilic said: I am very happy the players who have come in since the injuries have stepped up, they have really stepped up. Their all round play has brought something different to our game.

“We are missing some really key players, especially offensively.

“Considering that, we did very well. I told the guys before and after Old Trafford the only we way are going to compensate for that is by working as a team.

"We are still going to miss big players but the effect will be minimized if we work hard collectively, not as individuals. With teamwork and hard work, that is exactly what we did.”

He added: “We wanted to win, we always want to win. Sometimes you have to take risks. This is football, it is worth throwing everything you’ve got for three points.

"Saying that, the team defends as a whole and attacks as a whole, so the 11 on the pitch are only half of it. It is the shape and the mentality that is key.”

The Hammers carved out a number of opportunities at Upton Park on Saturday – 22 to be precise – but couldn’t find a way past the in-form Butland.

West Ham keeper Adrian, was kept busy too – saving well from Mame Biram Diouf on two occasions – but felt the east Londoners ought to have taken maximum points.

He said: “We have to be happy with the clean sheet but I think a little bit frustrated that we didn’t get the three points, because we had plenty of chances to score.

“Jack Butland also made some very good saves and, at the end of the day, we got one more point and another clean sheet is important as well."

The Hammers have now drawn their last three and Adrian felt there were similarities on Saturday to last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United in which they could also have claimed all three points.

“In both games we showed a great performance, we played well, we made good chances, we had opportunities to win the game but I think we need to be a little bit more clinical with our finishing,” explained the Spaniard.

With the season almost at the halfway stage and the Hammers in eighth place, just five points shy of the Champions League spots, Adrian believes there is every reason to be optimistic for the second half of the campaign.

He said: “If we pass the Christmas period and start to get the injured players back into the team in January and February, and we are still in the same position, we can look to stay in the top six or seven.

“We play to win and I think we deserve to be in the position that we are.

“The points and the table are so tight; you win two games and you go up, you lose two games and you’re in the middle.

“We need to go game by game and nothing further. I think if we keep this same level of performance and improve results here in Upton Park, we can have a great season.”