Bilic reluctant to discuss crowd trouble after ‘unbeatable’ win
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic was reluctant to discuss the crowd disturbances which marred his side’s EFL Cup win against Chelsea.
The Hammers secured a quarter-final place with a 2-1 victory at the London Stadium, where rival fans clashed towards the end of the match.
Bilic condemned the disorder but insisted the focus should be on his team’s performance.
“I think this game deserves to be talked about a little bit more,” he said.
“It was a London derby, 2-1 to us, great goals – we should be spending at least three-quarters of this (press conference) talking about this.
“Ask me about the game, not something I have nothing to say about.”
Pressed for his reaction to the crowd trouble, Bilic said: “I can only say that I noticed it and of course it was there, but I was concentrating on the game.
“I don’t know what happened, but whatever happened we are totally against it as a club. For these kind of things to happen is unacceptable.”
Goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and Edimilson Fernandes put West Ham in control before Gary Cahill pulled a goal back for Chelsea with seconds remaining.
Kouyate headed home on 11 minutes and Fernandes’ first goal for the east London club doubled their lead early in the second half.
“It was a great game. To win like that at home in the cup against Chelsea is unbeatable,” Bilic said.
“It’s a great night for us. It was a great game of football; a night game, in a packed stadium, a London derby against a team in great form.
“To put in that kind of performance is really important for us, not only for this competition but in general to gain more confidence as a team.
“Of course to beat Chelsea you have to be on top of your game and we were. I think we deserved to be more up after the first half, even though they started better than us before the first goal
“Then there was a crucial period when we scored the second goal and defended well and kept the ball well.
“The execution of the plan from the players was excellent. Otherwise, you can’t beat such a quality side.”
