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Football London
Football London
Sport
Kadeem Simmonds

Thilo Kehrer delivers West Ham London derby admission ahead of Tottenham and Chelsea fixtures

Thilo Kehrer says West Ham still have more to give after picking up their first win of their Premier League campaign on Sunday.

Pablo Fornals' goal proved to be the difference as the Hammers beat Aston Villa 1-0 and ended their run of three straight defeats to start the season.

The clean sheet on Sunday was the team's first of the campaign and at the heart of the backline was summer signing Kehrer, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain.

READ MORE: David Moyes’ West Ham tactical U-turn inspired vital Aston Villa win as new partnership forms

The left-back has featured in the last four West Ham games and speaking after the win, the German international said they are finding their rhythm after a disappointing start and looked forward to back to back London derbies against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

“It's been really easy [integrating into the team],” he said. “This is a good group and it's a very positive atmosphere. There's a lot of quality in the team and I've been welcomed very well by everyone. I'm happy about this, we're finding each other and we're finding our best way to play to get into a rhythm, so the three points today helped.

“I can play different positions. The manager and the team know that. I'm ready to bring my qualities and my personality to the team. I'm aware of history and the importance of the London derbies. It's very big and I'm really looking forward to it.”

Following the win, Kehrer highlighted the importance of the victory in this system with Spurs and Chelsea next up for West Ham. The 25-year-old added how defensively his side stepped things up in the second half against Villa on Sunday.

“The second half we had better positions to play with the ball. We also had better positions to defend. We were more compact and made less channels for Aston Villa to play through.

“We had it a little bit easier and in the next few games we'll see again if it was the system, or other things. We're happy to get the three points and it wasn't an easy game. Aston Villa are a strong side and we knew we had to fight, be together and be ready for the battle.”

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