NEW ENGLAND coach Sven-Goran Eriksson must be hoping that he inherits some of the indomitable fighting spirit which has driven surprise team Sunderland to second place in the Premiership.

The game at Upton Park was hardly a classic, but it must have proved to Eriksson that there is an abundance of true grit in the English game.

He saw Sunderland out-battle West Ham for the points to leap-frog over Arsenal, whose hopes of catching champions Manchester United nose-dived when they could only draw their home game against Chelsea.

Sunderland boss Peter Reid, who has promised the Swedish coach "every co-operation", was proud of his team's victory, even though he was first to admit it wasn't a textbook performance.

He said: "It wasn't spectacular, but it was a great win for us.

"I don't think it was the purest game of football in the world. It was blood and thunder and there wasn't much room to play out there.

"Sometimes you have to dig in and it is not always sweetness and light.

"I think there are some good players in England and I am sure that Sven, who has a great record, will agree with that. He will take his time and have a look.

"I can only tell you about the game from my point of view as manager of Sunderland. It was a solid performance and we were well worth the three points."

Sunderland, who have quietly crept up the table with a do-or-die approach which has caught many teams by surprise, cannot have failed to impress Eriksson.

Their two main contenders for England recognition, striker Kevin Phillips and full back Michael Gray, must have impressed Eriksson with their parts in a victory for teamwork and gritty determination.

Gray, after an uncomfortable start, gradually put the shackles on late inclusion Trevor Sinclair, who was also under the scrutiny of Eriksson.

Phillips, whose link-up play was excellent, had one chance, a very late effort which flew wide when Sunderland already had the points in the bag and could afford to be extravagant.

Phillips, however, looked like a predator, stalking round the West Ham penalty area waiting for an opportunity to prove his scoring ability.

His unselfish approach was a vital cog in the efficient Sunderland engine which, once it started to tick over, ran effectively and, at times, with great precision.

West Ham's most dangerous spell came in the first 20 minutes, when Sunderland were at full stretch keeping them at bay.

But, having absorbed the initial impetus, Sunderland probed forward and after midfielder Don Hutchison had a shot cleared off the line, stopped the home side in their tracks with a clinical finish.

The hard-grafting Gavin McCann clipped over a perfectly-measured free kick from the right in the 22nd minute and Slovakian central defender Stanislav Varga, the biggest player on the pitch, rose majestically to head home his first goal for the club.

It was a goal which served to take the wind out of West Ham's sails and delighted the big Sunderland following, which proceeded to out-shout the home contingent.

West Ham, with highly talented individuals like Paulo Di Canio, Frederic Kanoute and brilliant young England candidate Joe Cole, tried hard to get back on terms, but they found themselves closed down quickly and with ruthless efficiency by a biting Sunderland midfield which made space hard to come by.

Di Canio was not at his best after missing games, but he showed great ball control in the 63rd minute, taking an inspired flick-on from Cole to burst clear and hammer a low shot against the post, with centre-back Emerson Thome clearing the follow-up from Kanoute.

Five minutes later, however, Sunderland had the game sewn up when Hutchison claimed his seventh goal of the season with another quickly-taken free kick, which is becoming his trade-mark.

West Ham were still lining up their defensive wall when Hutchison drove his low, 22-yard shot into the corner of the net and the home defence was caught totally unawares by the opportunist strike.

The goal had the Wearside fans singing "we're going to win the League" - a bit optimistic as Sunderland trail Manchester United by 11 points, but they have waited a long time to enjoy their games in London so much as this season, when their favourites have claimed seven points in their last three visits.

Sunderland are not a flamboyant team by any means, but they have shown what can be achieved by team spirit and self-belief.

Certainly Eriksson saw what can be achieved on a football field by hard work - and he must be ready to encourage his new charges to roll their sleeves up