West Ham manager Alan Pardew admitted he was "over-zealous" in the celebrations which led to an angry confrontation with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

Yesterday's 1-0 victory over Arsenal at Upton Park was overshadowed by the managers being separated after Marlon Harewood's late winner and the pair refused to shake hands at the final whistle.

In a hot-tempered London derby, Gunners forward Robin van Persie appeared to be struck by a coin from the crowd in the first half, with Hammers officials studying CCTV to identify the culprit.

It meant back-to-back Barclays Premiership wins for Pardew's men, who had lost their previous eight matches before last weekend's win over Blackburn, but who are now out of the relegation zone.

Their manager admitted the relief of victory was the cause of his reaction, saying: "If I was over-zealous in my celebrations - which I'm sure I was - I apologise fully to Arsene Wenger and Arsenal Football Club.

"We've had a tough old season here and maybe it came out. He was annoyed with that, maybe quite rightly so, but I hope that I can iron that out and (we will) be big enough to look each other in the eye.

"I've got great respect for him, and that won't change."