West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has warned his side to remain focused following a nervy 1-0 success over Southampton in a relegation six-pointer yesterday.
Nayef Aguerd could not have picked a better time to score his first goal in a Hammers jersey, rising highest to head home Thilo Kehrer’s free kick in the 25th minute.
David Moyes’ side shut up shop after that, keeping the Saints at bay for the remainder of the game to collect a crucial three points.
West Ham are now undefeated in their last five games at the London Stadium, picking up 11 points from a possible 15 in front of their home supporters.
Fabianski, who played his part in the victory with three saves, has now called on his side to keep the fire burning when they host Newcastle United on Wednesday night.
“If you look at the table, one win doesn’t really do too much for you,” Fabianski said (via the Evening Standard).
“It’s nice to be out of the relegation zone, but each week is so different – you see teams in the bottom three and then suddenly jumping up to 13th or 14th.
“We just have to focus on every single game. The next one is very important as well. It’s a big one again at home, and we have to use our home form to our advantage.
“We have to make sure we keep getting points at home, and hopefully we’ll be out of this situation sooner rather than later.”
There was uncertainty surrounding Moyes’ future heading into the game against Southampton, especially with the current managerial merry-go-round in the Premier League.
But in the face of danger, the Scotsman pulled a cat out of the bag, and not for the first time this season, having survived similar must-win fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Everton this year.
However, the under-fire 59-year-old is not out of the woods yet, and there is still work to do to ensure West Ham survive the relegation dogfight.
Victory over Ruben Selles’ side moved the Hammers up to 14th place, but they remain just one point above the drop zone and could just as easily slip back into danger if they fail to muster a positive result against the Magpies.
