Two goals down at Wembley after Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli had put a dominant Spurs in total control, Bilic’s team staged a brilliant comeback which may well have given him a stay of execution.
After his dressing room rocket, Andre Ayew scored twice and Angelo Ogbonna headed in the winner.
Bilic’s team have won only one of their last five games in the Premier League and now face a crucial game at bottom of the table Crystal Palace on Saturday.
And Bilic said: “I’m calm and glad when we win in this way. You see the team is very alive. But there is no time and place to go large now. We have done a lot but, considering the season, we have done nothing.”
Huge pressure had been heaped on Bilic after last Friday’s 3-0 home defeat by Brighton – and last night’s game, plus the Palace fixture were reportedly all he had to save his job, with the club already looking at possible replacements.
Defeat at Selhurst Park could still mark the end but now the Hammers manager has a lifeline.
He said: “The mood was down at half-time. We said things about what we should do. I told them to calm down – but be more brave.
“We reacted in the most brilliant way. To score three goals against them, then be brave and compact, we deserved it and it is a big boost for us.
“Goals are always key, they give the whole team energy. I hope the Brighton game was a one-off. This is the standard of play we expect.
“The team is above every individual. We have to be humble. No matter who plays on Saturday, we have to fight for the team.”
Ayew added: “The coach had words at half-time. This was a massive win and now we have a massive game on Saturday against Crystal Palace.
“We knew that if we scored a goal early we still had a chance. We showed we have character and quality.”
Tottenham had gone into last night’s game unbeaten in 11 matches but manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “You can never lose your focus. Maybe we thought the job was done.
“That cannot happen. We allowed them to come back. It is difficult to explain. We must be more mature at 2-0 up.”