West Ham have shown “strength, character and discipline” to pull away from the Premier League drop zone, says former defender Matthew Upson.
David Moyes’ men now sit four points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand.
The Hammers have lost just one of their past five league games, reviving their hopes of staying up.
Victories over Southampton and Fulham in recent weeks have helped West Ham to climb further away from the drop zone.
They have picked up eight points from their past five games, compared to just 23 from their previous 25 before then.
“The two wins West Ham had against Southampton and Fulham were just colossal, at a moment where they just had to win, otherwise they would have been really, really struggling,” Upson said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“They’ve ground it out and what David Moyes brings is he’s got that strength, that character, that discipline, and West Ham played like that today.
“Yes, there were mistakes and they haven’t been good enough with the ball but they’ve got a bit of steel about them and I think that runs through the club and the squad from the manager down.”
West Ham are still in the Europa Conference League and host Gent in their quarter-final second leg on Thursday, having drawn the first match 1-1 in Belgium.
Moyes highlighted his players’ determination to fight back against Arsenal – especially in the midst of a busy period of games.
“The Thursday to Sunday football is never an easy gig but it is one we are enjoying,” he told BBC Match of the Day.
“When you go 2-0 down to Arsenal you’re not sure how to get back into this.
“We put them under pressure when we could but they scored two goals with their quality and it’s great credit to the players they stuck at it.
“It would have been a good result getting a point anyway but going 2-0 down and coming back shows great character.
“The games are coming thick and fast and the players are doing a really good job.”
Striker Michael Antonio highlighted the importance of the home crowd at London Stadium.
He told Sky Sports: “The fans saw we kept having the belief and the fans want to see us fight and they saw that.
“The atmosphere started to grow and they were a massive part of us getting a point.”
