James Collins: 'Dimitri Payet cannot keep bailing West Ham United out'

West Ham United defender James Collins has warned his teammates that they cannot continue to rely on Dimitri Payet to get them out of trouble.

During Saturday's 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough, the Frenchman cancelled out Cristhian Stuani's opener at the London Stadium with a solo effort that saw him beat five Boro defenders before slotting home.

It was enough to see West Ham end a four-match losing streak, but Collins claimed that he and his fellow Hammers players cannot rely on their playmaker to save them all the time.

"It's a great goal and Dimi is a world-class player, but we can't depend on him," Collins told West Ham's official website.

"We can't depend on him to keep making goals like that, we need to be better defensively and better going forward and take our chances.

"It's a lot to keep asking Dimi to come up with goals like that, so it's something we need to work on."

The draw leaves West Ham still stuck in the relegation zone, although they are now level on points with 17th-placed Swansea City.