Matthew Upson was inspirational again on Saturday in the 3-1 away win against Fulham that has fired everyone up for two home games in quick succession.
The skipper was equal to everything Fulham could throw at the Hammers rearguard and his defensive display alongside James Tomkins was instrumental in a long awaited away victory. That said, Upson knew the team had ridden their luck to draw level when Carlton Cole pounced on a loose ball to equalise after Aaron Hughes had been allowed to head Fulham in front.
"We made the most of a bit of luck," he said, with a first away win in 28 attempts looking a long way off when going one-down after ten minutes. "We started off poor, and we conceded a poor goal that organisation wise was a bad goal to concede. Though good fortune we got back into it.
"We got up and running after that and our front players started to get hold of the ball and we started to cause problems. We looked like we could score goals. It was great to be in that kind of form."
Frederic Piquionne lashed in a second just before half-time and then Cole put the seal on a terrific second-half display from the whole side to send everyone back to east London on a high. Upson said the three points could provide a perfect platform before the arrival of Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday and Saturday respectively.
"It is a major boost," he said. "We have been waiting since the first game of last season to get an away win and we are off the bottom of the table for the first time in quite a while.
"We need to build on this. We have got another two massive games at home. We need to go out there with the same attitude and try and get another three points from one of those games. That would be a really good achievement. "
The England international who walked away from Craven Cottage with a nasty cut above his eye for his troubles said Everton would arrive refreshed from having Boxing Day off but said he and his team-mates would not be thinking too much about their opponents.
"All of these things out of our control," he said. "We can only control our performances and our attitude when we step out on the pitch. We have to be committed and give 100 per cent."