**West Ham United took another small but meaningful step toward Premier League survival after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Manchester City.**
It hasn’t been too long since Nuno Espirito Santo was feeling the heat as speculation about his future at the club began to sprout.
The Portuguese manager had initially struggled to salvage a campaign that was left hanging by a thread from Graham Potter’s ill-fated era.
However, over the past few months, the Hammers have put together a few decent results that have lifted the mood in the dressing room and given them a fighting chance.
West Ham’s chances of survival were hardly inspiring earlier in the season.
But they’ve managed to turn things around, going from a 55.52% chance of relegation after the 1-0 win over Fulham to 46.57% [following the draw against City at the London Stadium](https://westhamblog.co.uk/west-ham-hold-man-city-to-hard-earned-draw-to-escape-from-bottom-three/).
According to [Opta’s supercomputer](https://theanalyst.com/articles/opta-football-predictions), West Ham are still expected to be relegated, with a 43.73% chance of finishing 18th in the Premier League.
They’re also predicted to finish just one point behind Nottingham Forest and three behind Tottenham Hotspur, but another decent result may further improve their prospects.
West Ham are still in the bottom three with eight games to go, but their chances of avoiding relegation are starting to look more promising with every passing week.
The Hammers have been in fine form since mid-January, losing just two of their last nine Premier League games (W4, D3), although they’ve won just one of their previous five (D3, L1).
Nevertheless, if they can maintain their current trajectory, Nuno’s side may be able to keep their heads above water, considering the difference between going down and staying up could come down to just a handful of points.
One key factor in their survival push could be their home form. The London Stadium has started to feel like a place where West Ham can pick up valuable results again.
Since January, they have lost just once at home in all competitions (W2, D4). With four of their final eight games coming on home turf, picking up valuable points in East London could be the key to staying up.