Sam Allardyce praises 'near perfect' West Ham United showing

West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has praised his players for an almost perfect performance after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester United.

The Hammers had originally led through a standout finish from makeshift centre-back Cheikhou Kouyate, before Daley Blind popped up in injury time with a wonder-strike of his own to earn Louis van Gaal's side a point.

"We have to give the players credit for how well they defended as well as how well they played in possession, which was almost the perfect performance," Allardyce told Sky Sports after the game.

"It's a fantastic performance. Not a result we deserved or wanted, but we're back to a level that we know we can play at. It was just a great shame we conceded a goal as late as we did, which wasn't the normal goal you concede against Man United.

"A punt up the middle, it was actually our player that headed it, so it wasn't any great play at all."

The Hammers currently occupy eighth spot in the Premier League standings.