This was the latest West Ham humiliation of the season, and possibly Nuno Espírito Santo’s last. They became the first team to lose to Wolves at the 20th time of asking, allowing the Midlands club to double their points tally in the process and bring hope of not being the worst team in Premier League history, while leaving the Hammers four points adrift of the last safe position.
Former Wolves head coach Nuno has already been sacked once this season and a ninth game without victory will increase the pressure on a man who was more popular with the home fans, who celebrated first-half goals from Jhon Arias, Hwang Hee-chan and Mateus Mané, than the away end at Molineux. West Ham failed to get a shot on target against a team without a clean sheet prior to Saturday, who had secured three draws and nothing else in 19 matches, to put them in danger of falling below Derby’s record low of 11 points, although if the Hammers continue to play like this they might finish only three better off.
Fewer than four minutes into Wolves’ new year, they were able to give the impression of finding resolution. Hwang had already offered a glimpse of a revitalised man with a 50-yard run and he backed it up with an assist, thanks to good combination play with Mané, pulling the ball back to an untracked Arias to slide home from close range to give Wolves a home lead for the first time since 5 October. There was energy on the pitch and in the stands, something of a rarity this season.
