Mauro Zarate "very happy" with "fantastic" West Ham United debut

Mauro Zarate has said that it was "fantastic" to score on his West Ham United debut following his side's 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace this afternoon.

The diminutive Argentine arrived from Velez Sarsfield at the beginning of the summer on a three-year deal, but did not feature last weekend.

However, he started today's game in the absence of Kevin Nolan, and marked his debut with a goal.

"It was a fantastic match for the team," he told the club's official website. "I'm very happy because we took the three points away from home, so it's an important result.

"I played behind Carlton [Cole] and I like that position. It gives me the opportunity to shoot and give passes to my teammates. We played very well and it's a good win.

"It's fantastic to win and play very well, and we have to take that into the next match now."

When asked about the goal, Zarate said that he had been practicing similar finishes in training during the week.

"We practice volleys in training for that kind of situation and we have to show that in the match.

"I think it was the second chance I had and it wasn't an easy one as the ball dropped, but I took it well and it went in the corner, so I'm very happy."

The win has lifted West Ham up to sixth in the Premier League table.