Not only did beating Burnley pull them eight points clear of the Clarets, they are now just three points behind Forest in the Premier League table.

Safety felt a remote possibility only a few days ago but West Ham are alive once again.

Axel Disasi is a guaranteed starter for West Ham United now

The fact that Axel Disasi was thrown straight into the deep end says an awful lot about his standing at West Ham.

If Nuno saw fit to start the Frenchman after Disasi spent so long on the sidelines at Chelsea, it’s surely quite obvious that this will be the plan going forward.

Disasi can only get fitter the more games he plays. Having walked straight into the starting lineup here, he seems a guaranteed lynchpin of the defence going forward.

Nuno vindicated in Mads Hermansen call

Nuno took something of a risk on his goalkeeper, too.

For the first time in months, the Hammers boss started Mads Hermansen between the posts in favour of Alphonse Areola.

Hermansen has struggled since joining West Ham from Leicester but, funnily enough, he is in fact the goalkeeper who has kept both of the team’s clean sheets so far this season.

The Dane didn’t particularly convince in the opening exchanges but grew into the game.

Selecting him was a gamble from Nuno but it paid off. It will be interesting to see what happens from here.

West Ham’s January business pays off

Nuno was able to rotate somewhat, with Callum Wilson starting up front and Taty operating in a deeper role.

Pablo Felipe and Adama Traore were able to come off the bench, too.

That points to the options Nuno now has in his squad. It does look much better balanced these days, even if it isn’t perfect.

West Ham do look like they have enough to make a fight of the relegation battle in the final 13 games. It won’t be easy, but the squad looks in a much better place for now.

Describe Mads Hermansen’s West Ham return in ONE word! 🧤