West Ham survived their own ‘emergency alarm test’ away at Bournemouth to edge further away from the relegation zone.
During the 90 minutes, the British government tested an alarm system to alert their people to danger just as the East Londoners built a six-point gap between themselves and the drop with a 4-0 win at the Vitality Stadium.
Michail Antonio powered in an early header from Aaron Cresswell’s corner, taking advantage of the Cherries’ lax marking in just the fifth minute.
Lucas Paqueta uncharacteristically headed in a second in just the 12th minute, leaving the travelling support feeling more at ease than they have all season about their chances of avoiding a shock relegation to the Championship.
The 1,300 away fans had struggled to reach the south coast amid travel chaos on the rail network but it would soon feel worth it.
They chanted for an under-pressure David Moyes, who has survived the sack despite seeing a record 12 other bosses at different Premier League clubs lose their job this season.
There were also chants of “one more year” for Declan Rice after he secured victory in just the 43rd minute, powering in a volley after Gary O’Neil’s side failed to clear a corner.
That number went from one to five to six and then to ten more years as West Ham supporters urged their star and captain to renew his deal beyond 2025, when it currently expires.
A comfortable second half was capped by Pablo Fornals’ spectacular scorpion kick to earn a first league double over Bournemouth, who they leapfrogged in the table along with Wolves and into 13th position.
The Hammers also won consecutive away games in the league for the first time since January 2022 and have a game in hand over all the teams below them in the table.
In a season of peril, West Ham have been rewarded for their decisions. They kept faith in their manager who was under outside pressure to get sacked, while they kept hold of Rice despite constant interest from big six clubs.
After surviving his own emergency test, Moyes guides his side away from the drop with likely just one win needed from the remaining seven games to secure top-flight status.
West Ham could soon enjoy their bid to win glory in the Europa Conference League without feeling under pressure for their league matches.
