Boss Mick McCarthy admitted Wolves’ third goal finally convinced him his side were going to beat West Ham.

Wolves had the rare luxury of spending the last half hour effectively killing time after stunning Upton Park by taking a 3-0 lead against the Hammers before winning 3-1.

“I was trying to keep a lid on it at 2-0,” confessed McCarthy.

“When we scored our third goal I fancied us to win and didn’t think they’d come back from that.

“At 3-0 I probably allowed myself to show a bit of relief and delight.

“When they got a goal I knew they weren’t going to get two more but it still put a spanner in the works.

“I didn’t expect to win 3-1 and be as comfortable as we were at times.

“It’s just the way it turned out.”

Such was the tension, McCarthy admitted he probably won’t enjoy the victory until watching it again at Compton tomorrow.

“I’ll probably enjoy it more when I review it tomorrow morning,” he said.

“I didn’t particularly enjoy it at the time although I knew we were playing well.

“It was a case of breathing a big sigh of relief.”

But the Molineux chief insisted his side deserved their margin of victory.

“The scoreline didn’t flatter us and I was annoyed we conceded a goal,” he said.

“We played very well and deserved the victory – no one could have gone from there thinking anything else.

“There were a lot of West Ham fans who applauded us off and voiced their opinions at how well we played.

“I know it’s kind of a back-handed compliment because they were having a go at their own team, but it was still nice to get it.

“We played well. The pressure was on them, playing at home in a game they were expected to win, but we didn’t let them play.

“It was a terrific performance.”

McCarthy also revealed why his players remain so committed – fear of the axe.

“Unless the players graft, run around, tackle and compete, they get a flea in their ear from me and they don’t get in my team,” he maintained.

“I forgive mistakes and missed chances but I will not tolerate lack of effort, workrate or desire.

“We’ve got all of that.

“I think Gianfranco (Zola)’s team worked hard, but so did mine.”

McCarthy admitted he wanted to get the home crowd on West Ham’s backs.

“If it had been at Wolves and we’d have conceded goals it would have been similar reaction – we’d have had a nervy crowd on our backs,” he said.

“We knew that and we played on it because teams come to our place and play on it.”

But he had nothing but praise for the 1,393 Wolves’ travelling contingent.

“The fans were great again,” he said.

“They’ve followed us home and away all season and have been fantastic and to see them in such numbers for a midweek game at West Ham is great.”

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola admitted he was surprised by Wolves’ performance and said he was hurt by the result.

Hammers fans chanted “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” at their players which dismayed Zola.

“It hurts me very much,” said the Italian.

“I have a close bond with this team and I don’t like what happened.

“Wolves played well and I was impressed and surprised by their performance.

“But when you are in this situation, shouting at the team will not help.”