As the travelling West Ham supporters descended into pandemonium at Craven Cottage, Crysencio Summerville stood still, arms outstretched and sporting an enormous smile.
The Dutchman had every reason to smile as he celebrated his fifth Premier League goal of the season to help the Hammers to a vital 1-0 victory against Fulham.
His 65th-minute strike was enough to continue West Ham’s resurgent quest for survival – on a night when they gained two points on 17th-place Nottingham Forest.
The forward – who struggled for both form and confidence after joining from Leeds United in August 2024 – has now managed more goals in his last 10 appearances for the club (seven), than he did in his first 38 (one).
Speaking after his side’s fourth away win of the campaign, Summerville said: “We have to fight until the end, that’s what we did. I am very pleased to get the three points.
“I am in a good space. I love to play, I am just happy to be back and I try to show it every week.
“We have to keep going now. We took positives from the Liverpool game, we had lots of positives, the fans behind us are very pleased and we are going in the right direction – the only way is up.”
But it’s not only Summerville who is finding his feet as the business end of the season looms – West Ham are, too.
The Hammers have now accumulated 14 of their 28 points this season in their past eight Premier League games.
Such an impressive run for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side means that if they defeat Manchester City when they return to Premier League action on 14 March, they will be out of the relegation zone for the first time since December.
‘We are improving game by game’
After shipping five goals to a misfiring Liverpool side last Saturday, it would have easy for West Ham‘s bubble to burst.
But that was never going to be the case as far as Nuno was concerned.
The 52-year-old instead chose to focus on the positives from the game at Anfield – where his side generated an xG of 1.75 – before Wednesday’s trip to Fulham.
“We are improving game by game,” said Nuno.
“It can happen – games like Liverpool – but the confidence is there and the boys are working very hard, very committed knowing that the situation that we are [in] doesn’t change anything.
“We are focused on ourselves and keep going.”
Fixtures come thick and fast for Hammers
The scenes inside the away end at Craven Cottage could have been mistaken for those of a team securing survival on the final day of the Premier League season.
But West Ham still have nine games to navigate as they fight to avoid relegation to the Championship for the first time since 2011.
The Hammers are next in action against Brentford on Monday in the FA Cup fifth round.
After that, the matches come thick and fast for the 2023 Conference League winners.
They face three of the Premier League’s current top four – Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa – alongside meetings with relegation rivals Wolves and Leeds United, with the latter coming at London Stadium on the final day of the season.
But the fact that five of their remaining nine games are at home could spell trouble.
London Stadium has often felt like an unhappy home for West Ham, with protests against the board and just three wins this season contributing to a disconnected atmosphere.
There is clearly plenty of work left if West Ham are to survive, but as Summerville suggest after Wednesday night’s performance, the Hammers appear to be heading in one direction – up.
