West Ham look like surviving relegation battle – but their fans are struggling to enjoy it

 West Ham look like surviving relegation battle – but their fans are struggling to enjoy it

Sometimes it is better to flirt with danger and escape than spend a season tucked up snugly in mid-table. A successful relegation battle is memorable, can energise fans and players and sometimes acts as a counter-intuitive fillip. Better things are often around the corner and jeopardy is more fun than credible draws, sensible decisions and forever being the last game on Match of the Day.

West Ham hung on for a win against Southampton, confirming suspicions they are better than their lowly position. They now seem likely to ease away from the Premier League’s bottom three, but does it really have to be this painful?

There was a roar at the final whistle but it was stifled, in recognition of the lack of excitement from David Moyes’ side. He clearly does not care about entertainment while in this predicament. “I’m really pleased about the result,” he said. “We’ve done what we had to do. We’ve played much better and not won in the past, but today was all about the result. The players have certainly dealt with any pressure and anxiety we’ve had.

“I’ve said to the players let’s get the results and we’ll work on improving the performances as we go on and hopefully we can do that.”

Declan Rice was a rare bright spot in Moyes’ team, as he has been for most of their dispiriting season. It is contributing to the muted mood in east London that supporters are likely watching his final clutch of games in claret and blue. After lots of talk of this ill-fitting stadium finally coming to life last season it is creeping back to its status as an unhappy home. As early as the 23rd minute there were boos for a perceived lack of urgency on the ball.

This was second bottom vs bottom at the start of play and it showed in a desperate first half. Southampton’s fourth-choice centre-back Duje Caleta-Car seemed on a mission to maim Jarrod Bowen, trundling into him in a pile-up of congealing legs near the touchline after 25 minutes. Up to this point it was the highlight of the game.

Thilo Kehrer swept the resulting free-kick onto the unmarked head of Nayef Aguerd, connecting pleasingly to beat Gavin Bazunu. After a lengthy Var check it was decided that none of the offside West Ham players was relevant and the opening goal was awarded. A clean header from a defender, from a defender’s set piece. It was an appropriately unmemorable goal for the occasion.

It was not all bad news, one of the home team managed to make 10 tackles, the most for any West Ham player in a Premier League game for a decade. The only problem was it was their Brazilian number 10. “We brought Lucas Paqueta in to score goals and make goals, but we’re thrilled he’s got another side to his game too,” said Moyes.

Despite the nagging gloom Southampton would swap positions in an instant. Perhaps they will be the team who finds previously hidden reserves of character to pull off their own revitalising miracle? Ruben Selles pointed, prodded and waved in the technical area it was hard to see what he or his team were trying to do.

“We tried a couple of different variations in terms of tactics and I need to analyse because there was a feeling that we could get more from the game,” he said. “But we never made the last action, last decision, last pass. We should have been better in the second half.”

Their most reliable route to goals are the free-kicks of James Ward-Prowse, one never arrived in striking range. He made a late chance from open play for Paul Onuachu who leapt well, beat Lukasz Fabianski but hit the crossbar. With that went Southampton's chance for a point and their fillip will have to wait. On this evidence it could be a while.