West Ham United's Ghanaian youngster Gideon Kodua was beaming with joy after leading his team to a 5-1 victory over Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup final on Tuesday.

Kodua played a crucial role in the match, scoring a goal and captaining the team to glory.

Speaking after the game, Kodua praised his team's work rate both on and off the pitch. "It was a good game and I think our boys are just a special group, really," he said. "The work-rate on the pitch and off the pitch is unbelievable and that's how you get here and win the cup!"

Kodua, who was born in London to Ghanaian parents, also thanked God for his success and promised that there was more to come from him and his teammates.

"It feels amazing [to captain West Ham to a trophy win]. I would just like to thank God for everything. God has done so much for me and there is more to come from me and all of us, from the whole team, so we're just going to keep beating people."

The 18-year-old midfielder also expressed his gratitude to the West Ham fans for their support during the match.

"It sounded like there were 20,000 [West Ham supporters] there. I would just like to thank the fans for coming. They were amazing, especially when we scored, and their emotion was just flowing all over the pitch."

Kodua's teammate, striker Callum Marshall, also spoke highly of the team's work ethic and the support of the fans.

"The boys stuck together and we got the result," he said. "In this team, Kev says that if you don't work hard, you're not going to go anywhere, so I don't think there was anyone on that pitch that didn't work their socks off for the team."

Kodua and Marshall's impressive performances in the FA Youth Cup final could see them earn first-team opportunities at West Ham in the future.