Despite sitting in 16th position in the Premier League standings, David Moyes would have felt that his side were improving before football was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Although the Hammers earned nothing from trips to Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, Moyes watched his players perform significantly better than earlier in 2020.
Before the setback at the Gunners, West Ham recorded a 3-1 triumph over Southampton, a result which keeps the club above the relegation zone on goal difference.
Moyes will now hope that his team can extend their unbeaten home record to three matches when they play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers in their comeback game, set for June 20.
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With Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea to follow, it leaves the East Londoners needing to hit the ground running in order to avoid entering the bottom three with half-a-dozen encounters remaining.
The following triple-header represents a better opportunity, on paper, for West Ham to accumulate more points with Newcastle United, Burnley and Norwich City providing the opposition.
With Watford and Aston Villa due at the London Stadium during the final two weeks of the season, Moyes will feel confident that his team can edge themselves to safety, should they need to, by collecting points from those matches.
A meeting with Manchester United features inbetween, however, and knowing that a visit to Old Trafford still lies ahead may sharpen West Ham's focus in their earlier games.
West Ham's remaining fixtures in full
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Wolverhampton Wanderers (h) - Saturday, June 20 at 5.30pm
Tottenham Hotspur (a) - Wednesday, June 23 at 8.15pm
Chelsea (h) - Wednesday, July 1 at 8.15pm
Newcastle United (a) - TBC
Burnley (h) - TBC
Norwich City (a) - TBC
Watford (h) - TBC
Manchester United (a) - TBC
Aston Villa (h) - TBC
All times are BST
Darren Plant
