Gianfranco Zola feels West Ham are "playing football the way the fans like" but still must defend better after conceding three against Burnley.
The Hammers put some daylight between themselves and the bottom three, and also gained ground on the sides above, with a 5-3 victory over the Clarets at Upton Park on Saturday.
downlevel descriptionThis video requires the Adobe Flash Player. Download a free version of the player.
The relief at the final whistle, which followed a late fightback by Burnley, was evident all around the ground as West Ham chalked up only a third Premier League win of a frustrating campaign.
Zola, though, believes his squad have turned the corner ahead of another stern test when champions Manchester United come to east London next weekend.
And the former Chelsea forward has no intentions of approaching matches with any other focus than fully stretching the opposition.
"I know that we have to defend better in certain circumstances, but it was a good day for us," said the Italian.
"It is true we have dropped many points and we need to realise that we must be switched on until the end, because the edge from losing and winning a game is so close.
"The mental side of that is so important.
"I was an offensive player and obviously I like the team to play offensively, but there are moments in the game where you have to be solid, and we know about that.
"We are playing football the way the fans like, so that is what we try to do.
