Whether this precious victory is sufficient for Manuel Pellegrini to hold on to his job remains to be seen but West Ham held their nerve to record a second win since September. Sébastien Haller scored his first goal since October to hoist West Ham up to 15th, six points below fifth-placed Sheffield United. West Ham, who have been sounding out potential candidates to replace Pellegrini, could still dispense with the Chilean before Christmas.
That would seem cruel given the way West Ham performed here, dominating until a wobble late on when they survived a Southampton onslaught to seal victory. Asked whether he expected to be in charge against Crystal Palace on Boxing Day, Pellegrini was diplomatic. “You never know, you never know,” he said. “I don’t think that your job depends on whether you win or you lose, I think it depends on the trust of the owners of the club and I’m absolutely sure that they trust in what we do, but I cannot answer that question.”