Curbishley has been unfortunate with injuries, but he also knows that too many of his players continue to underperform and, most worryingly of all, the day of reckoning is not far off. West Ham have only three matches in February, but how important they are, coming against Aston Villa, Watford and Charlton Athletic.
“They will be the decisive games, not Liverpool,” Curbishley said.
The memorable FA Cup Final between these two clubs was only last season but, in a poor first half, it felt like another lifetime. It is certainly a distant memory for West Ham, who have changed managers, owners and more than half a team. Most significantly, they have traded a bright future for a nightmare vision in which they are demoted to the Coca-Cola Championship only a year after qualifying for Europe.
It took West Ham more than half an hour last night to shoot at José Manuel Reina, Nigel Reo-Coker's bobbling mis-hit meeting ironic cheers when it finally reached the Liverpool goalkeeper. It did signal a brighter spell going into the interval, but, if that flurry was meant to engender hope, the optimism was soon destroyed.
The flickers of a West Ham revival lasted only 11 seconds into the second half when Calum Davenport failed in his attempt to nip in front of Crouch. The England forward laid the ball off for Kuyt to hit a superb shot that dipped and curled over Roy Carroll. The ball caught the underside of the bar for the Holland player's tenth goal of the campaign.
Less than ten minutes later, Liverpool had added their second with the best move of the evening. Steven Gerrard clipped the ball forward to Craig Bellamy, who played it out to John Arne Riise, high up the field in his role as left wing back. The Norway player's cut-back invited the first-time shot from Crouch who, with no defender near, hit a crisp strike past Carroll.
Game over, crisis ongoing for West Ham.
The goals, and the style of them, will have come as vindication to Rafael Benítez for his decision to stick with the unusual 3-4-3 formation that had brought triumph away to Watford recently.
The Spaniard was typically understated after the match, even claiming that Chelsea had the experience to withstand the pressure, but he will know that Liverpool have an outside chance in the championship race.
While Benítez looks forward to the run-in, West Ham must get players such as Luís Boa Morte and Yossi Benayoun to apply their talents consistently. Curbishley, who ruled out a deal for Darren Bent, the Charlton Athletic striker, at least saw some return for taking Kepa Blanco on loan from Seville.
The striker scored within a couple of minutes of coming on for his debut, but his goal in the 78th minute was to prove too little, too late. Blanco's strike, appearing to convert Bobby Zamora's cross from an offside position, ensured a lively finish but the home fans had been demanding a refund only seconds earlier.
“The fans are anxious and disappointed,” Curbishley said. So are the board.