Wolves 3 West Ham 0: Emphatic display brings first Premier League victory of season
Wolves started 2026 with their first Premier League win of the season and first since April with a first half battering at home to West Ham.
Jhon Arias netted his first goal for the club within four minutes to give Wolves a crucial lead against their fellow relegation strugglers.
Wolves sat back but remained in control against a poor Hammers side who were unable to break them down.
Hwang Hee-chan got the vital second from the penalty spot before 18-year-old Mateus Mane added some shine to a superb first half with an excellent finish from the edge of the box - for his first senior goal on his first Molineux start.
West Ham never truly threatened in a subdued second half as Wolves finally won a match and bagged their first clean sheet to go with it.
Analysis
Rob Edwards made one change to his Wolves team following the draw with Manchester United last time out.
Santi Bueno recovered from a dead leg and started in the heart of defence, as Matt Doherty dropped to the bench.
Andre was available again following his suspension but was named among the substitutes, as Edwards kept his experimental midfield that worked against United.
Tawanda Chirewa was also named on the bench following Zimbabwe’s exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Former Wolves captain Max Kilman started for West Ham, led by former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, while forward Lucas Paqueta was not included.
New Hammers signing Pablo Felipe was named on the bench.
Inside the first minute of the game, Yerson Mosquera gave the ball away cheaply and handed an opportunity to West Ham, as Arias lunged into a tackle on Freddie Potts but nothing was given.
Despite that unnecessary opening minute, Wolves had a good start to the game and a strong Hwang run almost set up Tolu Arokodare.
After just four minutes Wolves took the lead. Mane did superbly to turn in midfield and find Hwang on the left, who did well to beat his man and put in a low cut back for Arias to finish for his first goal for the club since signing in the summer.
Wolves defended deep following the goal and West Ham had more possession, as they created a chance when Crysencio Summerville got in behind and had a coming together with Mosquera, but no penalty was given.
Once Wolves did open up again they won a penalty from an unforced Hammers error. Kilman’s poor clearance allowed Mane to nick the ball and Soungoutou Magassa brought him down.
Hwang missed a penalty against West Ham in the Carabao Cup back in August - and has made a habit of missing them for club and country of late - but stepped up to tuck his spot-kick straight down the middle.
Wolves were denied a quick third when Alphonse Areola made a stunning save from point blank range to deny Arokodare’s header.
But the third did come before half-time, in stunning fashion from teenager Mane. He turned delightfully to the left of the goal, cut inside onto his right foot on the edge of the box and rifled the ball into the near bottom corner for his first senior goal.
Wolves saw out seven minutes of added time to get to half-time firmly in control.
As the teams came out for the second half, Jarrod Bowen lifted an audacious overhead kick over the bar from a Summerville cross.
The Hammers had a lot more of the ball but were doing little with it, as Wolves defended fairly comfortably and looked for counter-attacking opportunities.
They suffered a blow when Hwang pulled up with a knock and he was replaced by Jorgen Strand Larsen after an hour.
Hugo Bueno came close when he cut onto his right foot and forced a save from Areola.
Moments later, Larsen met Arias’ cross and headed just wide.
The impressive Mane turned superbly and took aim to force Areola into another save, as Wolves looked for a fourth.
Wolves coasted for the remainder of the half against a struggling West Ham side, as they recorded a desperately important win and clean sheet.
Key Moments
GOAL 4 Arias slides in to give Wolves an early lead
GOAL 31 Hwang tucks away a penalty to put Wolves in control
GOAL 41 Mane rifles home a third for Wolves
Teams
Wolves: Sa, Tchatchoua, Mosquera, S.Bueno, Krejci, H.Bueno, J.Gomes (Andre, 45), Mane (Chirewa, 86), Arias, Hwang (Larsen, 60), Arokodare (Wolfe, 88).
Subs not used: Johnstone, Doherty, Hoever, Gonzalez, Lopez.
West Ham: Areola, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles, Potts (Soucek, 45), Magassa (Mayers, 45), Fernandes, Summerville, Bowen, Wilson.
Subs not used: Hermansen, Igor, Pablo, Rodriguez, Earthy, Kante, Golambeckis.
