Mark Noble has hailed West Ham's "biggest win in years" as Swansea City were beaten to allay the mounting threat of relegation.
The Hammers had lost five on the bounce to slip down the Premier League standings, their worst run of form since suffering the drop six seasons ago.
Noble, who was making his 400th appearance for West Ham, underlined the importance of distancing the club from their relegation rivals and hopes the three points will ease the pressure on the players and under-fire manager Slaven Bilic.
"That's our biggest win in a few years. The run we've had, we haven't been good enough but we haven't had the rub of the green either.
"I thought we played well under pressure. Swansea were only a few points behind us. It was so important.
"It's a fantastic win for the club, but I'm disappointed to be suspended for the next couple of games. The lads should have enough to see it through.
"One more win should , ee us safe. Hopefully we've broken that run of losses - games we shouldn't have lost. Sunderland away is massive and then we have some tough games.
"This should release the pressure, the lads should be happier. We haven't been good enough for a couple of months, but this should release the pressure."
Next up for West Ham is a trip to bottom-of-the-table Sunderland in seven days' time but Noble is now suspended for the following two games after picking up his 10th booking of the campaign.
