After a night in dreamland, West Ham must invest to reinforce its new reality

A stunning victory against Leicester showed the strength of the club’s foundations under David Moyes – now is the time to build on them and begin a new era

Cutout and keep: Michail Antonio celebrates after breaking West Ham’s Premier League goalscoring record (Getty)

When Michail Antonio began swirling a cardboard cutout of himself in the air, West Ham fans would have been forgiven for wondering when they might wake up. But then, perhaps even the wildest of imaginations could not have foreseen the fantasy that unfolded against Leicester on Monday night.

West Ham are top of the Premier League for just the second time in their history and, after supporters had been stranded at a distance for over 16 months, when hurt and discontent had made for the most unsettling of undercurrents, all the pent-up emotion, unlikely joy and triumph of last season finally came to fruition at first-hand. The supporters remained long after the final whistle, bobbing deliriously to “Sweet Caroline”, and finally their soulless, resented stadium truly began to feel like home. “This reminded me of Upton Park tonight – it was great. It was a big change,” David Moyes said afterwards, and while it may not have been his name chanted in Stratford’s backstreets, it was a trophy of recognition for him, too – so often unfairly maligned, now the mastermind of a much-doubted transformation.

For the club’s supporters, still in the hazy morning afterglow, pinching their skin and rubbing their temples, there should be no rush for the Paracetamol. These are heady days to savour and last season’s brilliance shows no sign of abating. Under Moyes, they are disciplined and aware, determined and resilient – qualities that have not often been so synonymous with West Ham. It’s not to say last season was a fluke by any stretch, but that to see the club start the season in this manner has only hardened the reality of their credentials. After so many years of unrest and volatility, it is hard to remember a time when they’ve had such a solid foundation to build upon.

Of course, that can really only be applied to their squad. Uncertainty is never far around the corner at West Ham and another doomed cycle of takeover talks agitate in the background. But as those murmurs continue, the club cannot afford to pause for a resolution and squander the full extent of their recent progress.

With just a week to go of the transfer window, West Ham are still yet to make a significant signing, despite the added rigours of their upcoming Europa League campaign. Monday’s evidence might not have exaggerated the need for a new striker, but Antonio’s hamstrings have a brittle record and he remains the only proven goalscorer in the squad. Last season, Jesse Lingard was able to share that burden, but his absence has instead left the team significantly weaker, and one stroke of misfortune could quickly derail what has been so carefully built.

It would be unfair to accuse the owners of failing to attempt to sign replacements – they have been sounding out options since January – but the lack of conviction remains a huge risk. Nor will it do anything to appease the present members of the squad, such as Declan Rice in particular, who are concerned their ambitions will be confined by the club’s recent past. At this stage, convincing Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma to make the switch across London feels like the bare minimum that is required.

Positive moods in football are a fragile commodity, capable of being shattered by the slightest tremor, and now is hardly a moment to hesitate. West Ham have a manager whose experience and shrewdness in the market has been unquestionable during his second spell in charge, a squad that is going from strength to strength, and finally it feels as though they are ready to turn the page rather than return to an age-old script.

After a night in dreamland, they must take advantage of their position, preserve the steps forward and invest in the promise of a new era. It is reasonable to think, in the ever-shifting world of West Ham, that they might never be so well-placed to do so again. There will be bad injuries and bitter luck. Those are as inevitable as the hangovers that drummed the heads of the fans who were still standing and serenading when Antonio returned to the field to conduct his post-match interview, and the next few days could be decisive in proving how long that revitalised atmosphere at the London Stadium can continue into the future.