West Ham moved outside of the Premier League relegation zone as Nayef Aguerd's first-half header was enough to secure a 1-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Southampton at the London Stadium on In a contest littered with individual errors, low on clear-cut chances but laced in significance, it was David Moyes' side who would prevail to increase the pressure on Saints, who still sit only three points adrift of safety
The hosts took a lead they would not relinquish in the 26th minute after a lengthy VAR review ruled Aguerd was onside when he headed in a free-kick from Thilo Kehrer
It required three minutes and 48 seconds - the longest VAR delay of the season - for referee Paul Tierney to be informed by Peter Bankes that the goal should stand after a tight offside call
Jarrod Bowen struck the woodwork with a sublime effort before the interval, but one goal would prove enough to overcome a blunt Saints side who went closest to equalising when substitute Paul Onuachu headed against the bar in the final five minutes
The result moves West Ham up to 14th in the table, but only a point above Everton in 18th place as they extended their unbeaten home run in 2023 to six matches
"I'm really pleased about the result," said Moyes
 "We've played much better in the past and not won but today was all about the result
 Unfortunately we've had that quite a lot already this season
 The players have dealt with the pressure and anxiety we've had
"Mainly because of playing on Thursdays and we've had games in hand
 With having to play catch-up, that can make it a bit nervy and we were today
"Moyes spent the international break in the relegation zone and the Scot will hope this result now acts as a springboard heading into a hectic month of nine fixtures across the Premier League and in Europe
 It is the highest the Hammers have been in the table this season since November 5
West Ham's domestic form has been in stark contrast to their run in Europe, having reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League with 10 straight wins
But Moyes, who retains the backing of the club's owners despite their struggles, witnessed a morale-boosting win that moved his side up five places in the table
After a typically anxious opening 26 minutes in which neither side truly asserted any degree of dominance, West Ham struck from a set piece, Saints' Achilles' heel all season
Kehrer's deep delivery from the right was met by the leaping Aguerd, his header precise and back across goal
 The VAR lines were drawn and they would eventually favour the hosts
Southampton have now conceded 13 goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season - only Bournemouth have conceded more (17)
 Indeed, the Saints also lead the league in 2022/23 for headed goals conceded (12)
Romain Perraud immediately stung the gloves of Lukasz Fabianski on his return in goal for West Ham after a five-game absence but the hosts might have doubled their lead before the break when Bowen's curled effort came back off the crossbar
The Saints headed to the London Stadium bottom of the table but only two points from safety, and they began the second period sprightly with Romeo Lavia and the substitute Carlos Alcaraz testing Fabianski
Moyes said his players were ready to fight for their Premier League lives, but they showed composure alongside the necessary battling qualities to manage their opponents
Since Ruben Selles replaced Nathan Jones during February, Southampton had taken eight points from his six previous league matches - but despite his best effort to find solutions, Onuachu's header against the crossbar was as close as they would come
With nine clubs all looking set to battle it out for their top-flight status, the fight for survival appears set to be one of the tightest of recent seasons
 These precious three points for Moyes, and for West Ham, could prove pivotal come the final reckoning
"We've beaten Everton and Nottingham Forest while we've drawn with Chelsea and Aston Villa before this so the home form has been good
 We've been in good form more or less since the World Cup, including in Europe
"We've felt ourselves catching up
 There have been some shocks and some surprising results of late and that is due to the quality across the Premier League
"I hope none of you are betting because if you are, you're probably not winning many of them given how the results have gone! There's not an awful lot between many of the sides in this league
"We didn't start the game well but we then got the goal which meant we had something to hang onto
 Overall, I think we just about edged the game and deserved the victory
""It is always frustrating when you concede a goal but especially from set plays, and when you lose by it
 Sometimes, the VAR decisions are for you and other times they aren't
 It was very tight
"It shouldn't affect our mindset
 We need to be stronger in these situations
 It wasn't the four-minute wait for the goal to be awarded, but the goal itself which affected our mentality
"Set pieces is a part of the game we've not been good at this season and we need to step up during the coming games
"I'm focused on the performance and what we are doing, no matter who the opponent is
 I feel we can perform better, especially in moments like today with the goal
 In some games, we've managed to keep the clean sheet and this is the basis to get something
"We cannot spend our energy looking at the relegation picture and what we cannot affect
 I cannot affect the other games and results
 What I can do is elevate the spirit of my players to face Manchester City next and that is my focus
"West Ham had a three-week break owing to their fixture with Manchester City being postponed and the subsequent European Championship qualifiers, which gave David Moyes' and his backroom staff a chance to take stock ahead of a hectic schedule
This was the first of nine games for the Hammers in April, with the majority of them at home and the away visits not too taxing in terms of travel
Such has been the interrupted nature of this campaign, West Ham could still play as many as 17 more games
 There is plenty to play for both in the Premier League and in Europe
After results on Saturday conspired to leave them second from bottom, Aguerd's first-half header rocketed them to the heady heights of 14th and help build the momentum Moyes craves
'Must-win' games have been a regular occurrence for the under-pressure Moyes this season, but just as they had done against Everton and Nottingham Forest recently, his team pulled out a victory when they needed it most
With Leicester the latest club to swing the axe - the news of Brendan Rodgers' departure filtered through during this match - only Moyes and Steve Cooper at Forest of the bottom nine sides have kept their jobs this season
West Ham's latest win was far from pretty but it was absolutely priceless
 The Hammers are breathing a little easier, albeit only two points above the drop zone, but they can put further daylight between themselves and the bottom three at home to Newcastle on Wednesday
Morocco defender Aguerd steered a beautifully-controlled header into the net and, after an agonising three-minute VAR review for offside, the goal was given
It was a first goal for the club for Aguerd - who missed the first half of the season through injury - and it lifted the mood in the London Stadium instantly
Aguerd's intervention was West Ham's first effort on goal in the game
 Indeed, the Moroccan is their 165th different scorer in the Premier League, at least three more than any other side
Moyes said: "I think it was only the second or third game Aguerd and Kurt Zouma have been able to play alongside each other this season
 The performance is important but the result is the most important thing, and hopefully we improve on that as we go along
" are back in action in midweek as they host  on Wednesday night, kick-off 8pm
A trip to  is on the agenda next weekend, before attention turns to their Europa Conference League quarter-final matches against , which come either side of a home game against on April 16, live on  at 2pm
's next game is a clash at home to , live on  with kick-off at 5
30pm
The Saints also face tricky matches away at  and  in April, but their home games are against fellow relegation rivals  and  this month
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