The excitement of being back in the First Division was forgotten as West Ham and Brighton struggled to impress in their 1–1 draw on the opening day. All this changed a few days later as the Hammers crushed rivals Tottenham 4–0 at White Hart Lane. It was a personal triumph for centre-forward David Cross, who scored all four goals. Another player in form was inside-forward Paul Goddard, who scored twice against Stoke City in the 3–2 home victory and then grabbed a hat-trick in the 4–2 home win over Southampton. Moving up to fifth in the league, the Hammers went nine games unbeaten before losing 3–2 at Aston Villa in October. Derby County were beaten over two legs in the League Cup but in the next round West Bromwich Albion went through, winning 1–0 in a second replay at Upton Park. Trevor Brooking was on target, scoring in the 5–2 win against Coventry City and a week later netting twice in a thrilling 3–3 draw at Leeds. After the 2–1 home defeat against Arsenal in early December there were no games for a month due to the snowy conditions.

Everton were beaten 2–1 at home in the FA Cup, but a poor 2–0 loss at Watford saw the Hammers go out of the competition. There were two new signings: Belgian international forward Francois Van Der Elst joined along with midfielder Neil Orr. Without a win in February the Hammers had slipped to fourteenth, but the return of Alan Devonshire, who had been out injured, sparked a revival, with only one defeat in nine games. In true West Ham fashion, however, the next nine games yielded just one victory. To add to the misery, Alvin Martin broke his collarbone at Coventry, an injury that forced him to miss the World Cup finals.