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West Ham came through their latest test with flying colours.

Their draw with Liverpool on Monday evening was a perfect example of a club overcoming normal expectations against a bigger team.

They turned in a display of the highest calibre, their defence was disciplined, their midfield strong and their finishing precise.

But Manuel Pellegrini will know that the display was the exception to the recent rule, as they had gone on a three-game losing streak in all competitions immediately prior, including a shock FA Cup defeat to AFC Wimbledon.

Their fixture list, however, looks menacing in the coming weeks.

First, they play Crystal Palace in a London derby before another capital battle against Fulham. They then take on Manchester City.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he's still got it! Check out the video below...

The question, then, is whether the Irons can maintain the level of performance that saw them go so close to beating Liverpool.

They actually defeated both Palace and Fulham in the reverse fixtures earlier this season - 3-2 and 2-0 respectively - but a 4-0 defeat to City shows that the third game may be something of a free hit.

Momentum, of course, is key.

The Hammers are currently 12th, six points behind seventh-placed Wolves, but the club do hold ambitions of qualifying for Europe.

Two wins in a row would go a long way to exorcising the ghosts of their terrible performances throughout January and would also show that they have the talent within the squad to hunt down Nuno Espirito Santo's men.

First, they have to prove that they have the ability to beat those around him, and not just turn up when the Sky cameras are switched on.