Five things we learned from the weekend football

1 Hammers on course to survive

It is often said that points are more important than performances in the final months of a campaign but West Ham should take heart from Saturday's harsh 1-0 loss at Arsenal which showed they can compete with the big-hitters in the Premier League.

The Hammers won the shot count 14-9 and could have won if they had shown a little more composure in front of goal.

However, the performance continued a recent trend of improvement showcased in their 3-2 loss at Liverpool and 3-1 victory at home to Southampton.

David Moyes's side have not looked like relegation fodder in any of their last three games and if they keep playing at such a high level the results will surely come.

West Ham's run-in, featuring home games against Burnley, Watford and Aston Villa and trips to Newcastle and Norwich, offers enough opportunities for them to pick up the points they need for survival.

2 Hodgson worthy of contract extension

Roy Hodgson is the oldest manager in the Premier League and looks set for at least another season in top-flight management having signed a one-year contract extension with Crystal Palace.

The 72-year-old has a wealth of experience from a managerial career which began with a spell at Swedish club Halmstad in 1976.

But he has lost none of his enthusiasm and retains the ability to get the most from his players.

Palace have not been big spenders in recent seasons and their attack has been heavily reliant on Wilfried Zaha.

But Hodgson has the players motivated and supremely well-organised and has steered them to the brink of safety with nine games remaining.

They posted a hard-fought 1-0 success over Watford on Saturday, coping much better with the Hornets than Liverpool did the previous week, and they are in with a great chance of securing their first top-half finish since 2014-15.

3 Stoke setting a platform for next season

Stoke supporters have had to get used to relegation battles but they will have enjoyed Saturday's 5-1 success at home to Hull and may have a promotion push to look forward to in 2020-21.

The Potters are still not out of trouble with just three points separating them from the Sky Bet Championship's bottom three, but they have improved considerably since appointing Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill in November.

O'Neill inherited a side rooted to the foot of the table and has guided them to ten league wins, four draws and eight defeats.

That works out at 1.55 points per game which, if replicated over the whole season, would have seen Stoke in sixth place on 57 points.

O'Neill will be looking to make some key additions this summer and if he gets it right Stoke will have a great chance of regaining top-flight status.

4 Tranmere still in with a shout of survival

The Sky Bet League One relegation battle has lacked interest for much of the season but it has come to life after back-to-back wins from third-bottom Tranmere, who are sensing that survival may not be out of the question.

Micky Mellon's Rovers won promotion via the playoffs last season and their chances of adapting to a higher level were immediately dented by the departure of star striker James Norwood, who joined Ipswich on a free transfer.

However, they paid a loan fee to secure experienced forward James Vaughan from Bradford in January and are starting to see a return.

Vaughan has netted twice in his last three appearances, including the opener in a 2-1 success at Accrington on Saturday, and his goalscoring instincts could be the difference between them staying up and going down.

Tranmere are six points adrift of safety but have trips to relegation rivals Rochdale and Wimbledon on their schedule this month and can approach those tussles with renewed belief.

5 Exeter may miss out on top three

Exeter have spent most of the season inside the Sky Bet League Two automatic promotion places but they are going through a dip in performance at a bad time and may have to get ready for the playoffs.

Matt Taylor's Grecians have gone four league games without a win for the first time this season and they looked short of energy and ideas when losing 3-1 at mid-table Walsall on Saturday.

The result leaves them three points outside of the top three and puts them under added pressure going into this weekend's clash at home to big-spending Salford.

Three points would be sufficient to reignite the Grecians' top-three hopes but they face a tough challenge against the playoff-chasing Ammies, who are targeting a third successive victory.

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