West Ham earn relief for David Moyes as Harrison Reed own goal undoes Fulham

There was resilience and organisation to West Ham as they inched towards their first away win since August, their physicality and basic competence adding to the impression that this side will probably continue to do just about enough to stay up. Yet even in victory it was hard not to think that David Moyes has already lost in the court of public opinion.

This should have been a moment for West Ham to celebrate moving three points clear of the bottom three producing a solid, committed performance on a scrappy afternoon at Craven Cottage. They were deserved winners over a muted Fulham, Harrison Reed’s early own goal condemning Marco Silva’s side to a fifth consecutive defeat, even if it was not exactly a flowing attacking display.

Yet the moment that would live longest in the memory came when the travelling fans turned mutinous on the hour. They did not hide their displeasure when they saw Danny Ings making way for Flynn Downes and while this win has kept Moyes in a job for now it is hard to see him still being in charge next season. After all one fan was even holding up a “Moyes out” banner at full-time.

There had been nothing revolutionary about Moyes’s tactics. West Ham, who made five changes after their humiliation against Newcastle, had travelled across London with an uncomplicated plan: experience at the back, a compact 4-4-2 system and, for the first time this season, two strikers up front.

It was a return to the tried and trusted from Moyes, who brought the old guard back in defence: Vladimir Coufal, Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell coming in for Thilo Kehrer, Nayef Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri. It was enough to flummox Fulham.

West Ham set their stall out straight away, flinging in the crosses, Tomas Soucek