Pressure on David Moyes? Surely he has credit in the West Ham bank?

West Ham got their season back on track and in some style on Wednesday night, putting away Arsenal 3-1 in the Carabao Cup to progress to the quarter-finals and ease the slightly growing pressure on David Moyes. Now for the real quiz: can the Irons use this as launchpad for greater success?

The win showcased the quality that Moyes has in his squad, with Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen grabbing two of the goals, while Lucas Paqueta and particularly Edson Alvarez impressed in midfield. The latter was signed to replace Declan Rice, who came on to a bizarrely mixed reception, but it must have felt sweet to beat his new employers in such convincing fashion.

The result ended a poor run of form for the Irons who, after gaining 10 points from their first four league games, have accrued just four from their last six, and three of those came at home against a hapless Sheffield United side.

A draw with Newcastle came late but was nothing to be mourned, and neither were losses to Manchester City and Liverpool. These are not the games that West Ham’s Premier League season will be decided on.

It was their two most recent losses, 4-1 to an Aston Villa who have spent a similar amount (and lost their key man to a British record fee in recent years) and have similar ambitions to crack into the elite this season, and to an Everton side just looking to gather points before a likely 12-point deduction.

It was the second that raised concerns, and it just had to be against the club Moyes made his name as a top-flight manager. A 1-0 loss followed a defeat away to Olympiacos, which ended the club’s English record 18 games unbeaten in Europe.

Moyes’ comments after the game in Greece did not sound any better after Sunday’s defeat at the London Stadium, given he had said rotation was needed with one eye on the “bigger” game at the weekend. To be fair to him, West Ham had won their first two Europa League group games, which included an impressive victory and performance at Freiburg.

Rotation was again mentioned prior to the game on Wednesday night, but this time it worked out for Moyes, who often finds himself fighting against talk of discontent in the fanbase, with his style of play not allowing the side’s best attacking players to flourish and play the ‘West Ham way’ – whatever that is. They really are lacking a striker, in truth, which should be a priority come January. Michail Antonio is no longer fit for such a purpose.

It all feels very unfair given what Moyes has achieved with the Irons in his two stints. He first performed a rescue job to keep them up before later returning to deliver back-to-back top seven finishes, back-to-back European semis and a first trophy in 43 long years for the famous club.

This writer experienced the parade in the East End of London after that night in Prague; it will live long in the memory and should really ensure a serious amount of credit in Moyes’ favour.

After all, following the win against Arsenal, West Ham are still in a great position in all competitions.

Their ‘reward’ for that big win is a trip to Anfield, where Moyes has never won, but it remains a serious opportunity for a first domestic trophy since 1980, especially with so many big clubs already out. It is not for another seven weeks, so there’s plenty of time to build momentum.

In the Europa, West Ham will almost certainly qualify, with their manager admitting that he perhaps underestimated the strength of the competition. Two wins from their next three games will likely also see them progress as group winners, and two of them come at home.

Their league position of ninth is only three points off sixth and is a world away from the relegation struggles of last season. They are also set for a favourable run of games before a trip to current leaders and bitter rivals, Spurs, on December 7. How they would relish bursting their bubble.

First up is Brentford away at the weekend before Forest (home), Burnley (away) and Crystal Palace (home), the latter coming after yet another international break. Sigh.

By the time that Spurs game comes around and after that, the Carabao Cup quarter-final, West Ham might be in a fantastic position heading into Christmas. The win against Rice and Arsenal may be looked back on in months to come with even more fondness, and with a bit of relief for Moyes. A big season potentially awaits.