Gianfranco Zola has said his players cannot dwell for too long on the disappointment of defeat at Liverpool with Saturday's "massive game" against Wigan Athletic to come.
The 3-0 reverse at Anfield on Monday night meant the Hammers missed the chance to extend their three-point advantage over Hull City in 17th spot. Although that was not forthcoming, Zola believed this weekend's encounter at the Boleyn Ground would give his men the chance to quickly make amends.
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"We expected better from our performance," he said in a stark assessment of a match that saw Yossi Benayoun and David Ngog score in the first half before Robert Green's unfortunate own goal after the interval. "It's important that we don't make the same mistakes on Saturday. We know what we have to do and I know we can react to this result and get back on track."
To help in that regard, the manager will have the pivotal Scott Parker back from suspension while he admitted Carlton Cole was substituted in the closing stages on Monday as a precaution. The top scorer should be fit to play next time, but whoever wears the shirt will have to rise to the occasion.
"The only way to deal with pressure is to work hard. We were under pressure at Everton [in drawing 2-2 earlier this month] but we went there and worked hard. That's what we'll be doing on Saturday, too. We'll be focusing on our job and doing it with everything we've got.
"We started well against Liverpool and we were quite comfortable on the pitch but the first goal changed the game completely. Until then, they were missing a lot of passes and they were probably a little bit frustrated by the way we were covering the pitch.
"The first goal was strange because we have been defending quite well on set-plays so I was quite surprised. I didn't expect them to score in those circumstances. There was a chance for a reaction but Junior Stanislas passed it when he should have had a shot and sometimes things like that happen.
"After that, it was difficult because Liverpool are one of the best teams in the Premier League when it comes to keeping the ball. We are frustrated but we have to move on quickly because we have a massive game coming up on Saturday.
"I've told the players that we cannot afford to do that again. We made costly mistakes and didn't play very well and now we need to react straight away because Saturday is very, very important for us.
"When I walked into the changing room after the match I didn't even need to say anything because they said 'we're sorry we made mistakes.' We didn't play the way I know we can play and that is frustrating. Sometimes it's not your day - now I'm looking for a reaction.
"We all know how important the Wigan game is. We will be ready. We have four days to prepare and we will be doing it in the best way possible. None of us are pleased about this performance. We can only react, play better and win the game on Saturday."
Zola's final word went to the supporters, with 1,500 fans drowning out the home support with noisy and passionate backing from start to finish. "They are fantastic. We have really good supporters who follow us everywhere. I am sorry that we couldn't offer them more than what we did. We will put that right next time."