Declan Rice stresses importance of London Stadium form if West Ham want Europa League football next season
Manuel Pellegrini's men are four points behind seventh placed Wolves in the Premier League
Declan Rice has his eyes set on European football next season after the Hammers made it back-to-back home wins with Saturday's defeat of Newcastle.
Rice, 20, has more than 50 Premier League appearances under his belt and is on the verge of an England call-up.
The midfielder capped off a great week after scoring his second senior goal in the 2-0 win over the Magpies having already been named young player of the year at the London Football Awards earlier in the week.
The victory keeps the Hammers, who are unbeaten at the London Stadium this year, firmly in the hunt for seventh place and a potential Europa League spot.
Speaking after the game, Rice stressed how important West Ham's home form will be if they are to maintain their European push.
";I think we deserved the win," he said. "Newcastle have been in great form recently so we knew we had to be on our game.
"We had to treat the game like a final. I think you saw that in the first half.
"We were out of the box quick. We got an early goal and we kept pushing.
"We knew the second half would be tough but we were resilient and we defended well. We got the three points which is the main thing.
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"Our London Stadium form is really important. We've really made it tough at time for teams to come here and play.
"We've played really well, especially against some top-six sides."
Asked whether West Ham had it in them to secure a seventh place finish, Rice added: "These are the games, at home, where we should be winning. We've got the fans behind us. It's important we keep pushing (to finish as high as possible)."
Rice put the hosts ahead with a powerful seventh-minute header with captain Mark Noble doubling their advantage from the penalty spot shortly before the interval.