West Ham completed an excellent festive programme with a convincing and highly deserved 2-0 win over Liverpool, writes Fan’s View columnist Billy Blagg.

The first double over the men from Anfield for over half a century gave everyone a boost and showed how vital the sequence of draws from the end of November had actually been.

With the Hammers enduring their perennial injury crisis following the game against Everton, it would have been easy to lose focus.

However, five points gained against West Brom, Manchester United, Stoke, Swansea and Aston Villa provided a platform when the team came out for the second-half against Southampton.

A goal down and outplayed it was possible to see the winless streak turning into a mini-crisis.

With Slaven Bilic able to turn to Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll at half-time, the Hammers finished won 2-1 winners and confidence was soaring again.

The loss of Lanzini for another six weeks is galling but with Dimitri Payet playing a vital cameo when he came on against Liverpool, the Hammers have the strength in depth Sam Allardyce couldn't call on last season.

Naturally, talk of the claret and blue coming down with the decorations is inevitable – it will be many more years before the Hammers can outlive that cliché – and there’s still plenty of time to frustrate the fans.

But there seems to be a self-belief and determination in this team and nowhere is this demonstrated better than by James Collins.

Had Collins not been at his best against Southampton it was entirely possible the Saints would have been out of sight before half-time.

It was a significant gift to Hammers fans when Collins signed a contract extension on Christmas Eve.

The defender is the type of player the club have often wanted to cash in on in previous seasons and, in many ways, the injury crisis has been a reminder it takes more than 11 good players to make a successful season.

It’s a platitude which decrees when one player is injured another has an opportunity and it seldom works out like that.

The Hammers have struck gold there this season. Michail Antonio has grasped the opportunity presented him by injuries and grown into a strong Premier League player in a matter of weeks.

Scoring twice in successive games while proving pretty good defensively too, Antonio’s hugely impressive long throws have added to the feeling of goodwill flowing around Upton Park this New Year.

Perhaps for once, those decorations in the loft won’t be accompanied by West Ham’s fortunes.