West Ham United captain Mark Noble admits losing a London derby is never an easy defeat to take.

The Hammers were brushed aside 4-1 by Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday in a result that has dampened the East London outfit.

West Ham fell three points behind Spurs with a second loss in three outings in what was a deeply disappointing display and skipper Noble could not hide the feeling around the Hammers camp in what was a missed opportunity for their top four hopes.

"This defeat hurts us the most because it is a London derby. We have been on the winning side a lot over the last few years," said Noble.

"They scored from a set play in the first half and we were not out of the game at that point. We had a couple of chances ourselves and Cheikhou (Kouyate) hit the crossbar.

"If that chance goes in it is a different game. But when you go 2-0 down in a London derby it is tough to come back from.

"But they scored straight after half-time and that made it virtually impossible for us. It was a disappointing day.

"Goals at home can lift the crowd and when Harry Kane scored it made life that much harder for us. The third goal really killed us and it was sloppy play from us.

"But we need to put this behind us and look forward to West Brom which is another game on television and put things right."