JOSHUA King's stunning hat-trick earned Cherries a 3-2 victory over West Ham and three precious points in their Premier League survival bid.

Eddie Howe's side needed to summon every ounce of grit at their disposal to secure a first home win since December 13 after they suffered an early double blow against Slaven Bilic's team.

Sixty seconds after King had missed from the penalty spot, Michail Antonio fired the visitors into a 10th-minute lead.

King, though, who delivered a real battering-ram performance, finished expertly on 31 minutes to draw Cherries' level.

Benik Afobe became the second home player to fail from 12 yards, when his weak 37th-minute spot-kick was saved by Darren Randolph.

King swept home his seventh goal in seven games three minutes after the break, only for Andre Ayew to equalise with seven minutes to play.

That blow, however, merely set the stage for King to rifle in the 90th minute goal that sent Vitality Stadium - and Howe – into exultation.

Cherries were buzzing all over their visitors from the off, Afobe's powerful running in particular unsettling the Hammers' rearguard.

King served further notice of Cherries' appetite for the fight when he dropped deep to bully man mountain Andy Carroll out of possession, albeit King was unable to locate the killer pass at the end of his direct forward run.

Afobe charging in behind the Hammers' backline onto Simon Francis's long ball was the catalyst for the hosts' first attack of real menace.

The striker held off Winston Reid to deliver a deep cross from the right that was retrieved by Marc Pugh. He stood up Cheikhou Kouyate and directed the ball back into the box, where Afobe was arriving to plant a header wide of the far post.

If that could be classed as a half-chance, then Cherries' next opening came on a platter dished up by Sofiane Feghouli.

Charlie Daniels initially linked with Pugh down the left, before getting on his bike to charge into the box and receive a pass slipped by Dan Gosling inside Feghouli.

The Algerian knew he was in trouble and responded by tugging back at Daniels' left shoulder.

Referee Robert Madley pointed to the spot – and booked Mark Noble when the West Ham captain's protestations teetered towards the overwrought.

King had scored penalties in each of Cherries' past two matches. But here was the exception to the 'everything happens in threes' rule, as the Norwegian sent his effort skipping past Randolph's left-hand post.

And in the blink of an eye Cherries were behind.

Harry Arter coughed up possession to Feghouli, who, in turn, fed Antonio in the box. The forward has become renowned for scoring with his head, but on this occasion he applied his grey matter to keeping cool.

Antonio turned – allowed to do so by Francis – and stroked his finish across Artur Boruc and inside the keeper's left-hand post.

Daniels, played in by Pugh's cute reverse pass, sent in a fierce cross that was just out of King's reach – before Antonio and Manuel Lanzini had opportunities to double West Ham's advantage.

Antonio shot off-target after being teed up by Feghouli, before the same player turned provider, collecting a pass in the box from Lanzini and supplying a return into the onrushing Argentine's feet.

In direct contrast to the earlier calm displayed by Antonio, however, the hurried Lanzini thrashed wildly over.

West Ham boss Bilic screamed at the skies. Howe, hands thrust deep in pockets, heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Then Cherries put their foot down, launching into a passage of play that eventually drew them level.

It all started with Ryan Fraser taking aim from 25 yards and forcing Randolph to plunge to his right to tip behind.

At the resulting corner Fraser and Arter cleverly worked it short – Daniels offering the dummy run – with Fraser's eventual left-sided delivery landing the ball on Steve Cook's head.

The defender steered his effort on target, but Randolph was, once again, equal to his task, leaping to touch the ball over the top.

Fraser's next cross came from the opposite side of the pitch and proved too hot for either Afobe or Reid to handle.

The ball ricocheted into King's path – and what followed was sublime.

Touch one carried the ball over Jose Fonte's head and, with the defender eliminated from the equation, King dispatched the ball low to Randolph's left to bring his team level.

Penalty aberration aside – for which he apologised in the aftermath of his goal – King was delivering an imperious display.

One run from deep saw him blast his way through Noble and Fonte, with Pedro Obiang having to resort to underhand tactics to fell the rampaging forward.

Fonte was enduring a tough few minutes and the defender was culpable again when Cherries were awarded their second penalty of the afternoon.

Pugh jinked his way inside the Portuguese, who lazily swung out his left leg. The winger needed no second invitation, tumbling to the floor.

Madley blew his whistle. Vitality Stadium waited for the verdict: would the official book Pugh or point to the spot?

He opted for the latter.

Afobe assumed penalty duties. He bettered King in that his strike was on target.

All told, though, the outcome was no different, the former Wolves man's weak effort easily saved by Randolph down to his right.

Howe stood, hands on hips, perfecting his thousand-yard stare.

The Hammers could have restored their lead just prior to the interval. Feghouli pounced on Arter and Pugh's hesitancy to nick possession and feed Carroll.

Cook stuck his toe in but inadvertently nudged the ball into the advancing Feghouli's path. The winger struck low at goal but met his match in Boruc, who got enough of the ball to divert it over his bar.

Three minutes after the break Cherries had turned the match on its head – but only after Madley took an eternity to confirm King's exquisite finish would stand.

Fraser floated in a free-kick from the right, which Cook unwittingly headed into Afobe's body.

The ball veered right towards King, who applied a cushioned touch with his left foot to guide the ball inside Randolph's far post.

King was offside when Fraser delivered the set-piece, which caused the confusion.

Informed by his assistant, however, that the Cherries player had got himself back onside for the next phase of play, Madley pointed back to the centre spot to send a mix of relief and jubilation coursing through the home support.

"Darren Randolph, it's happening again," sang Cherries fans, a reference to the day the former Birmingham 'keeper was hit for eight by Cherries in 2014.

Randolph did well to gobble up Arter's drive from distance, which looped up wickedly off Obiang, with Feghouli then woefully off target with a volley after latching onto Antonio's pass.

Bilic sent on Ayew and Robert Snodgrass and immediately saw his team pin Cherries back, without being able to test Boruc to any great extent.

The Cherries number one dived to his left to save from Antonio. Prior to that, though, the home team had exploited West Ham's commitment to attack by striking out on the counter.

Gosling wrestled Lanzini off the ball, with Arter and King then combining to locate Afobe on the right.

The striker cut inside but his shot didn't have the power or placement to trouble Randolph. Arter exploded with frustration.

Afobe was then unlucky to be cautioned for sliding in on Randolph as the Irish goalkeeper charged out to tidy up from Fonte's undercooked backpass.

Indeed, Cherries were regaining the upper hand.

Fraser chased down Arter's ball over the top and pulled a pass back for Adam Smith, galloping into the box.

He lofted in a cross for Afobe, – the forward, though, was unable to keep his header under Randolph's bar.

Never give a sucker an even break.

Bilic had chucked on Sam Byram as his third and final substitute,

And it was the ex-Leeds right-back who strode onto Obiang's slide-rule pass, which caught Daniels napping.

Byram squared instantly and fellow sub Ayew had the rather facile job of tapping into an empty net.

Soon after, Bilic's men believed they should have had a penalty when Carroll's cross hit Smith's hand in the box.

But the grandstand finish, fittingly, was supplied by King.

Jack Wilshere, only on the pitch for five minutes, collected Arter's pass and marauded forward to play a one-two with Pugh.

Wilshere advanced onto the return and hit a shot that Randolph kept out with his leg.

There was nothing the Hammers keeper could do, however, to prevent King, on the follow up, smashing the ball into the roof of the net.

Cherries players made a beeline for the home dugout where Howe, momentarily losing himself, heartily joined the celebrations.

That spoke of the importance of the moment.

This day could conceivably have ended with Cherries three points above the Premier League's bottom three.

Instead, they are three points adrift of the top 10.

Cherries (4-4-2): Boruc; A Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels; Fraser (Wilshere, 85), Gosling, Arter, Pugh; King, Afobe (Mousset, 85).

Unused subs: Gradel, B Smith, Ibe, Cargill, Allsop (g/k).

Booked: Pugh, Afobe, Gosling, Cook.

West Ham (4-3-3): Randolph; Kouyate (Byram, 78), Fonte, Reid, Cresswell; Obiang, Noble (Snodgrass, 58), Lanzini; Antonio, Carroll, Feghouli (Ayew, 58).

Unused subs: Collins, Masuaku, Fernandes, Adrian (g/k).

Booked: Noble, Obiang

Referee: Robert Madley (West Yorkshire).