The Mexican played a huge part in the Hammers' victory over Wolves as he makes his slow return to football after missing the majority of pre-season and a number of games due to suspension.
Speaking to the club's website, Alvarez opened up on how he always knew he would come back stronger and fight for a side who have had a disappointing start to the season so far under manager Julen Lopetegui.
“I had a very bad injury over the summer - the first real big injury of my career,” Álvarez said. “I’ve had to fight a lot, try to keep my focus and concentrate on positive things.
“I know myself and the things I can control, and I have kept belief in myself. I’m gradually finding my rhythm again, I’m feeling good, and it’s just nice to be able to help the team to a win again.
“Being in this sort of position isn’t something I’m too familiar with, so I’m learning a lot. As a team, we’ve not been where we want to be for a lot of this season, but we always play to win, and Monday was particularly special.
“We just need to back it up now. We have 18 points now and there is still everything to play for. We all need to keep improving, but this result was important and we’ve got a lot of games coming up now where we’ll be hoping for more wins.”
Antonio’s horrific car crash this week is enough to damage the morale of any side but Alvarez has revealed that the team were able to video call him before the game which gave them the drive to go and play for him as he recovers in hospital.
“It’s been a difficult few days for everyone,” said 27-year-old Álvarez, whose appearance against Wolves was his 55th in Claret and Blue. “We all love Mick, and he’s a very important character both in the dressing room and out on the pitch.
“It was special to get the victory for him, for his family and for the fans. We were able to speak to him, which gave us a boost and a bit of extra motivation, and hopefully now we can go on and back the three points up next time out.”