penalty area. Eric Dier scored his first competitive goal for Spurs in stoppage time to pick up all three points for the North London club. Next up for the Hammers was an away trip to managerless Crystal Palace. Mauro Zárate hit a spectacular volley to register his first West Ham goal and there were also goals from Stewart Downing and Carlton Cole. Senegalese player Diafra Sakho and Diego Poyet, son of Gus, also made their debuts. Southampton was the next challenge and the last game before the international break. The club unveiled Barcelona and Cameroon midfielder Alex Song before kick off, who joined for a season-long loan. Mark Noble put West Ham a goal up before half time but Southampton scored two second half goals to take all three points back to the South Coast. They finished the month in 11th place. September West Ham played Hull City in their first game during September. A 2–2 draw at the KC Stadium produced a debut goal for Enner Valencia and club debut's for Carl Jenkinson, Morgan Amalfitano and Alex Song. The club's second win of the season came at home to Liverpool. Morgan Amalfitano scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win. Despite captain Wayne Rooney seeing red, West Ham could not overcome the ten men of Manchester United, losing 2–1. October The first of a three-game winning streak came at home against struggling QPR in a 2–0 win that saw the club move up to seventh. Diafro Sakho scored his third consecutive league goal. A second-straight win came against promoted side Burnley. Sakho scored his fourth consecutive league goal and helped move West Ham to fourth in the table on the eve of Sam Allardyce's 60th birthday. West Ham secured their third-straight win and a 100% win rate for October in a 2–1 home win against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City. Sakho scored his fifth consecutive league goal and his sixth in a row in all competitions, breaking a club record. November West Ham visited Stoke City and salvaged a point after being 2–0 down to draw 2–2, taking their unbeaten run to four games. Sakho was unable to continue his run of scoring in consecutive matches following an injury sustained in the Manchester City match. Aston Villa was next to visit the Boleyn Ground, a match that ended 0–0. This result extended West Ham's unbeaten