Most West Ham fans are looking forward to the bright future the move to Stratford will bring. The opportunity for the Hammers to grow and become a major force in the game was always a chance that the club had to take.

The downside, however, is that there will be no more nights at the Boleyn like the one witnessed on Tuesday evening.

In a pulsating FA Cup game against Liverpool every sinew was stretched, every nerve shredded and every nail bitten as the game see-sawed between the two sides.

The ultimate 2-1 victory may have come at the cost of some worrying injuries but, with results like this, the downside is worth considering.

There was probably nobody in the stadium who wouldn’t have taken some odds on the match going to a penalty shoot-out as the clock ticked into injury time. But Dimitri Payet had other ideas.

The Frenchman hasn’t been quite on song recently, but the studied way he placed the ball and looked at the Liverpool penalty area as he sent over the injury time free-kick which Angelo Ogbonna planted into the net was a sight to behold.

The Boleyn erupted in that unique way only it can and it’s only to be hoped there will be a couple of other chances to celebrate in the cup in the same way before the season is out.

Jurgen Klopp may claim his team at least deserved a penalty lottery, pointing to several missed opportunities by Christan Benteke as an example.

The fact is the Belgian can’t hit the proverbial Ruminant’s posterior with a multi-stringed musical instrument, so the definition of ‘chances’ will need to be reviewed in his case.

Regardless, there is little doubt the blatant tug on Enner Valencia in the penalty area in the second-half was a stonewall penalty and it is just surprising all the officials missed it.

Three wins and a draw against Liverpool is a statistic that will have every supporter of any age blinking to take in.

The surprising fact isn’t the wins themselves – the record against Liverpool was always a ridiculous anomaly – but the fact this Hammers side seem to believe they can and should beat teams like the Reds.

Last weekend’s reversal at Southampton last week was a case in point.

The disappointment when the Hammers failed to pull the one-goal deficit back at St Mary’s was tangible and – disappointing thought the result was – the fact everyone seemed so gutted by it was such a refreshing change.

There have sadly few times when West Ham has displayed this type of belief and passion, but the longer it continues – and Stratford should promise that – the better.