Slaven Bilic said Andy Carroll made him feel like Forrest Gump in the chocolate box scene in the build-up to this tie at the London Stadium.
'You never know what you are going to get,' Bilic said, channelling his inner Tom Hanks.
Well, on Saturday, West Ham got three points but this wasn't Hollywood. This was a grim Saturday evening in east London.
West Ham won and it was referee Lee Mason who handed them the chance for a happy ending, pointing to the penalty spot for Mark Noble to score the game's only goal in the 76th minute.