West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has praised his side for earning a "big win" over Sunderland.

The Hammers ended their seven-match winless run in the Premier League on Saturday as Diafra Sakho's late goal secured them the spoils at Upton Park.

Allardyce has now challenged his team to pick up as many points as they can during the remainder of the season.

"Saturday was a big win especially considering some of the players we had missing," he told the club's official website. "Hopefully we will pick up a fair few points between now and the end of the season.

"We've only lost two games to teams below us in the league and that in itself shows the season that we've had but also with the games coming up it is a big opportunity to get more points on the board.

"Recently, the performances have been there but the results haven't been. We're still in a great position, we're on 42 points which is what we got last season and we're heading for our best points total since we've been back in the Premier League."

West Ham are back in action on April 4 when they make the trip to struggling Leicester City in the league.