Concentration is something Yoshida himself has been working on, having been guilty of some high profile errors this season, most notably in the home games against both Manchester clubs.

“I need to show that to the supporters and the coaching staff,” the Nagasaki-born defender who struck the game’s only goal in the eighth minute, said.

“I have two or three time made a careless mistakes during the game, so I need to decrease those kind of mistakes. It isn’t enough yet.”

However, his close-range strike was enough to defeat West Ham who had a one man advantage for almost all of the second half after Mark Clattenburg sent off Victor Wanyama for a third time after the Kenyan’s reckless lunge on Dimitri Payet.

For all their possession, the Hammers created few clear cut chances and paid the price for a sluggish start to the game amid a windy and rainy evening on the South Coast.

“We’ve been over it. We’re trying to put our finger on it,” Mark Noble said.

“We can’t let games like this get us down because we are having a great season,” added the midfielder, whom Jamie Redknapp described as the best player not to play for England.

“It’s nice to hear things like that, especially from Jamie. I’ve had so much talk about it the last month or so. Even in previous seasons. I’m playing the best football of my career at the minute. I think everyone can see that. You can only play as well as you can for your club, and if that happens, it happens.”

- Telegraph