West Ham United joint-chairman David Sullivan has praised the work of Slaven Bilic and insists the club and players are fully behind their under pressure manager.

The Hammers’ slump in form reached a new low on Saturday as they were thumped 5-1 by Arsenal at London Stadium.

With the Hammers sitting a place above the Premier League relegation zone, Bilic’s position looks increasingly fragile, but Sullivan praised his work at the club since taking over in 2015.

“Slaven cares passionately about the football club and this defeat will be hurting him as much as anyone,” he said in a club statement.

“I have no doubts that he is doing everything he can to address the situation and everyone is working together to ensure we turn our season around.

“We cannot forget the amazing job that Slaven did in his first season at the club. With a bit more luck he could have taken us to the top four.

“His passion, commitment and outstanding track record at the highest level were among the many reasons we appointed Slaven in the summer of 2015.”

Bilic was brutally honest in his appraisal of Saturday’s loss as he accused his players of lacking intensity in training after a laboured display.

A run of five league games in a row without a win has left the Hammers looking devoid of the confidence required to turn their ailing season around.

Sullivan, therefore, believes the squad must stick together more now than ever and says everybody at the club is pulling in the same direction.

“I saw Slaven’s comments after the [Arsenal] game and as always he was completely honest with his assessment,” Sullivan said.

“Despite what some people have said, there is still a great spirit among the players and everyone is working towards the same objective.

“We all need to stick together and get behind the team. We are all part of the West Ham United family and in hard times families pull together.

“I and my family feel the same frustration and disappointment as you when we lose, and the same joy and elation when we win.

“It is the same for my fellow board members. West Ham is in our blood, just as it is in yours.”

United’s run of tough fixtures shows no sign of letting up as they head to Anfield to take on high-flying Liverpool on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopps’ men have scored a league high 35 goals this season, but Sullivan says West Ham can use recent history to inspire an unlikely win.

He said: “We have shown this season that the players have the quality to compete against the big teams and we need to show the same mentality when we travel to play Liverpool on Sunday.

“I am sure the players will not need any reminding about our famous 3-0 win at Anfield last season which was our first victory since 1963, and it was a memorable day for everyone at the club.

“We would now love to see a repeat performance and repay the fans for the magnificent support they show towards this team.”