avid Moyes says he had “great confidence” his West Ham side would win Saturday’s crucial relegation six-pointer against Everton and believes the signing of Danny Ings is proof he retains the backing of the club’s board.
It was a case of 18th vs 19th at the London Stadium, with two clubs in dismal form meeting and both Moyes and opposite number Frank Lampard under huge pressure over their futures.
Two first-half goals from Jarrod Bowen saw West Ham move out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win, their first League victory since beating Bournemouth back in October.
“The only difference between the other performances was scoring two goals,” Moyes said. “We have played as well in eight or 10 games but haven’t been able to get the goals.
“If you are indicating it is a relief to me, it’s a relief to the whole club. We all want to win and it was a big result for everyone connected with the club.
“The players earned it, they recognised the situation and we are working to get the club away from where they are.”
The Hammers had taken just one point from seven League games prior to Saturday’s victory and leading into the match there had been reports that Moyes would be sacked were his side to lose.
Despite the uncertainty over the manager’s future, however, the club announced the signing of Ings from Aston Villa in a £12m deal on Friday, the forward making his debut as a second-half substitute against the Toffees.
“The biggest strength I have is a board behind me who are supportive and who have backed me,” Moyes added.
“I still believe it is something the board didn’t want to do, to make changes. I had great confidence and also believed I would win in this game. We had to turn the tide and it couldn’t keep going the way it has been.
“I’ve had brilliant support from the board behind and they have really helped. Even buying Danny Ings shows you they want to help and do everything they possibly can.”