West Ham may have tasted a rare league defeat on Saturday but due to the results of others around The Hammers remain in the Champions League spots and are very much in contention for a European place as we enter the final third of the season.
David Moyes ' men put up a tough fight against the champions-elect Manchester City and were the first away team to score at the Etihad in the league since Leicester did in September.
Issa Diop had a golden chance late on to snatch a point for West Ham and it would not have been undeserved.
The Hammers currently sit four points behind the Foxes in third and are one point clear of London rivals Chelsea in fifth.
Liverpool are a further point behind level with Everton with Tottenham in eighth, six points off the top-four but with a game in hand.
With 12 games remaining for West Ham any other than European qualification would be seen as a disappointment, not something that was being said at the start of the season.
So how do West ham's remaining league fixtures compare to their European rivals as we enter the final third of the season? football.london takes a look.
West Ham - 45 points
08/03 - Leeds United (H)
14/03 - Manchester United (A)
21/03 - Arsenal (H)
03/04 - Wolves (A)
10/04 - Leicester City (h)
17/04 - Newcastle United (A)
24/04 - Chelsea (H)
01/05 - Burnley (A)
08/05 - Everton (H)
11/05 - Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
15/05 - West Brom (A)
23/05 - Southampton (H)
Of their remaining fixtures, only Manchester United and Leicester currently sit above West Ham in the table.
London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea are still to visit the London Stadium this season and if the Hammers can get to May still in contention for a European spot there is high hope for a fine end to the season.
Of the final five games, only Everton are currently above 14th in the table and if Moyes' men are still at the business end of the table the fixture list could well work in their favour.
Manchester United - 50 points
03/03 - Crystal Palace (A)
07/03 - Man City (A)
14/03 - West Ham (H)
03/04 - Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
10/04 - Tottenham (A)
17/04 - Burnley (H)
24/04 - Leeds United (A)
01/05 - Liverpool (H)
08/05 - Aston Villa (A)
11/05 - Leicester City (H)
15/05 - Fulham (H)
23/05 - Wolves (A)
Manchester City look nailed on title winners and their cross city rivals Man United are currently in pole position to finish a distant second to Pep Guardiola's men.
United face some tough fixtures over the next three months with trips to the Man City, Spurs and Aston Villa alongside home games against West Ham, Liverpool and Leicester sure to provide Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a challenge over the weeks to come.
Leicester City - 49 points
03/03 - Burnley (A)
06/03 - Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
14/03 - Sheffield United (H)
03/04 - Man City (H)
10/04 - West Ham (A)
17/04 - West Brom (H)
24/04 - Crystal Palace (H)
01/05 - Southampton (A)
08/05 - Newcastle United (H)
11/05 - Manchester United (A)
15/05 - Chelsea (A)
23/05 - Tottenham (H)
Leicester had the chance to move about Man United into second place on Sunday but fell to a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Arsenal and in the process lost Harvey Barnes to a serious looking injury.
Leicester will be intent on avoiding the fate that befell them last year where an end of season collapse saw them drop out of the top-four, but their fixture list is not kind to them as the season draws to a close.
Their challenging end to the campaign seems them face three of the 'big six' in a row, Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs.
Chelsea - 44 points
04/03 - Liverpool (A)
08/03 - Everton (H)
13/03 - Leeds United (A)
03/04 - West Brom (H)
10/04 - Crystal Palace (A)
17/04 - Brighton & Hove Albion (H)
24/04 - West Ham (A)
01/05 - Fulham (H)
08/05 - Man City (A)
12/05 - Arsenal (H)
15/05 - Leicester City (H)
23/05 - Aston Villa (A)
Of all the European rivals to West Ham Chelsea look to have the toughest run-in.
Of the current top ten the Blues have to face six of them between now and the end of the season and whilst they are still in the Champions League Thomas Tuchel will not have much time on the training ground with his men.
Liverpool - 43 points
04/03 - Chelsea (H)
07/03 - Fulham (H)
15/03 - Wolves (A)
03/04 - Arsenal (A)
10/04 - Aston Villa (H)
17/04 - Leeds United (A)
24/04 - Newcastle United (H)
01/05 - Manchester United (A)
08/05 - Southampton (H)
11/05 - West Brom (A)
15/05 - Burnley (A)
23/05 - Crystal Palace (H)
Champions Liverpool have made a hash of their title defence and only a long run in the Champions League or a late surge up the table can help Jurgen Klopp's men recover.
The Red's run-in is not the most daunting and with four relatively kind fixtures to end the season it would be no surprise to see Liverpool move up the table from their current spot in sixth.
Everton - 40 points
04/03 - West Brom (A)
08/03 - Chelsea (A)
13/03 - Burnley (H)
03/04 - Crystal Palace (H)
10/04 - Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
17/04 - Tottenham (H)
24/04 - Arsenal (A)
01/05 - Aston Villa (H)
08/05 - West Ham (A)
11/05 - Sheffield United (H)
15/05 - Wolves (H)
23/05 - Man City (A)
TBC - Aston Villa (A)
Everton along with Tottenham have played one game fewer than their European rivals and have a promising set of home fixtures to look forward to with not one team above them in the table due to visit Goodison Park between now and the end of the season.
A number of tricky away ties await the Toffees however, two trips to London to take on Arsenal and West Ham with a final game of the season against Man City hardly the ideal end to any campaign.
Tottenham - 39 points
04/03 - Fulham (A)
07/03 - Crystal Palace (H)
14/03 - Arsenal (H)
21/03 - Aston Villa (A)
03/04 - Newcastle United (A)
10/04 - Manchester United (H)
17/04 - Everton (A)
01/05 - Sheffield United (H)
08/05 - Leeds United (A)
12/05 - Wolves (H)
15/05 - Aston Villa (H)
23/05 - Leicester City (A)
TBC - Southampton (H)
Tottenham face some tough away days over the remaining games this season, trip to rivals Arsenal, Aston Villa and Everton could all be classified as of the 'six-pointer' variety.
However, bar the visit of Manchester United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium no side above them in the league will be travelling to London to take Jose Mourinho's men on.
A final day clash away to Leicester City could be crucial in deciding the European places.
Aston Villa - 39 points
03/03 - Sheffield United (A)
06/03 - Wolves (H)
12/03 - Newcastle United (A)
21/03 - Tottenham (H)
03/04 - Fulham (H)
10/04 - Liverpool (A)
17/04 - Man City (H)
24/04 - West Brom (H)
01/05 - Everton (A)
08/05 - Manchester United (H)
11/05 - Crystal Palace (A)
15/05 - Tottenham (A)
23/05 - Chelsea (H)
TBC - Everton (H)
Aston Villa have two games in hand on the current top six and will need to make them count if they want to put their name in the European conversation.
An injury to star player Jack Grealish has not helped Villa's cause but in his absence Dean Smith's men managed to defeat Leeds 1-0 to prove they are not a one-man team.
Villa have to face five of the 'big six' during their run-in and their two matches versus Tottenham could be key in moving up the league table.
