Wellington Paulista scored his first goal since joining West Ham as he appeared in the 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the Under-21 Premier League.

The Brazilian has moved to the Hammers on a six-month loan deal from Cruzeiro and was handed a start in the youth side, which allows three players over the age of 21 to appear, where he made an immediate impact.

Wellington Paulista
Wellington Paulista scored on his debut in the West Ham development side. [Reuters]

The 28-year-old opened the scoring after 21 minutes as he got ahead of his marker to meet a George Moncur corner and glance the ball from six yards past the helpless Damian Martinez.

Matthias Fanimo doubled West Ham's lead on the half-hour mark when his cross somehow drifted into the far corner after a misjudgement from the Arsenal keeper and the Gunners were unable to find a response in the second-half.

This was West Ham's third Under-21 win over Arsenal this season and manager Sam Allardyce will be pleased to see so much talent developing in the youth ranks.

Even more pleasing for the Hammers boss will have been the performance of Paulista who has been brought to the club to try and add some extra firepower. This was his first start for the club and he impressed throughout with his clever movement and willingness to get on the ball.

Under-21 coach Nick Haycock was particularly pleased with the performance of the striker who will be hoping to make a similar impact when he gets a chance in the first team.

"He's a good lad first and foremost. I've picked that up in training," Haycock told the Daily Mail. "He wants to do extra, he wants to work, he wants to get fit, he's hungry. I thought he showed that in his performance today.

"You sometimes get players who are used to playing at a higher level in their own minds, and they come down to this level and don't put the performance in, but I couldn't question Wellington."

The striker is also confident that he will be able to make the step up and revealed that he does not feel any extra pressure to succeed in England.

"The pressure will not be a problem for me because I am used to it from my time in Brazil, where the fans were really addicted to the club," said Paulista.

"The manager also put pressure on the players too, so it will be the same playing here. What I am interested in is the passion of the supporters for their team, the way they keep going with the club and the way they make the players perform better.

"I am strong, I am a fighter and I can score with both feet. I run a lot on the pitch and I can play as either a first or second striker.

"I think I can do my best here and I am coming to England to prove to everyone that I am one of the best strikers in Brazil and to get better and better."