March looks like it will be a season-defining month for West Ham, so David Moyes will have been pleased to sign off February with this win over Wolves.
Before this, the Hammers’ charge for Champions League football had stuttered after claiming five points from their previous five games.
But they got back on track on Sunday by beating Wolves 1-0 thanks to Tomas Soucek’s goal in the second-half.
The three points were no more than West Ham deserved and lift them up to fifth in the Premier League, with Manchester United just two ahead of them in fourth.
Soucek’s effort, which turned out to be the only goal of the game, came just before the hour mark and was a well-worked move.
Pablo Fornals flicked a throw-in back to Aaron Cresswell and, when he found Michail Antonio, Soucek was eventually picked out in the box to tap the ball home.
West Ham could have been ahead before that as Declan Rice hit the post with a long-range effort and Wolves defended doggedly.
The Hammers were the better side, though, and Moyes will have been pleased with the fact they restricted the visitors to just one shot on target. The back-four barely put a foot wrong, with Kurt Zouma particularly impressive.
Going forward, Antonio, who has been struggling for form recently, looked much more like his old self. He ran the channels non stop and his assist was no more than his effort deserved.
"He was really good, he got himself more chances and the goalkeeper made a good save from him in the first half," said Moyes. "I thought he did a good job for the team."
Jarrod Bowen was a threat out wide too, spurning a good chance in the second-half, while Fornals on the opposite flank was one of the Hammers’ best players.
It was all very positive for Moyes and that feels timely given West Ham’s fixture schedule in March.
It kicks off with an FA Cup fifth round tie against Southampton on Wednesday and from there they have a flurry of tough games, with their Europa League last-16 tie against Sevilla sandwiched in between trips to Liverpool and Tottenham. There’s a clash with Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa thrown in for good measure.
March certainly has the feel of a defining month for West Ham and the fact they’ve gone into with this win is a major boost.
The race for the Champions League has proven to be a rollercoaster so far and, when performances have dipped, the Hammers have managed to stay in the hunt.
Now, they must look to kick on.
