West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola said his side deserved a penalty when they were a goal down against Tottenham and have missed a vital chance to move away from the relegation zone.

Tottenham's Benoit Assou-Ekotto seemed to handle the ball in the area and a penalty was not given but Zola was optimistic for his sides chances of recovery and refused to lay blame on the ref.

"It was a clear penalty when it was 1-0. The referee is a human being, he can make mistakes. Unfortunately for us it was a disappointing game because it was one we all wanted to win," the Italian said.

"I understand the fans' frustration. We gave everything today to make them happy.

"It is not an easy situation for us, we know that. We will be working even harder than we have been. We won't panic."