Stewart Downing has insisted that West Ham United are still capable of qualifying for Europe this season.

The Hammers moved up to ninth place in the Premier League table on Saturday thanks to a 1-0 win over Sunderland at Upton Park.

Diafra Sakho's late goal made the difference in East London as Sam Allardyce's side ended their seven-match winless run in the top flight.

With eight games to go this season, Downing believes that he and his teammates have what it takes to enjoy a strong finish to the campaign and snatch a Europa League spot.

"We're ninth with a lot to play for. We have still got Stoke to play and we've got Leicester away next, so there are a lot of winnable games for us to pick up points from and Europe is still an option," he told the club's official website.

"I think Europe is still there. If you look at the games we have got to play, I think there are a lot of points to pick up. You keep going right to the end, because a lot of the teams have nothing to play for and they switch off and that's not our aim.

"Our aim this year is to get in Europe. I don't think 10th place is good enough. We need to aim higher than that and I think we've got the players to do it."

West Ham return to action on April 4 when they face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in the league.