Wolves Win 3-0 Over West Ham As Edwards Secures First Premier League Win This Season

Wolves finally earned a first Premier League victory of the 2025-26 season with a 3-0 win over West Ham, increasing scrutiny on former manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The result at Molineux lifted Rob Edwards'

side closer to safety and left West Ham stuck four points above the bottom three.

West Ham remained winless in nine league matches after this defeat, with four draws and five losses in that sequence. That run matched their poor finish to the 2010-11 season, when West Ham went nine games without victory and were relegated from the Premier League.

The key damage came before half-time as Wolves struck three times in 41 minutes. Hwang Hee-Chan powered down the right in the fourth minute and squared for Jhon Arias to convert. Hwang then made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after 31 minutes, following a foul on Matheus Mane inside the area.

Mane, who had won that penalty with sharp movement, added the third goal four minutes before the interval. Mane collected possession on the edge of the box and drove a fierce shot beyond Alphonse Areola. Minutes earlier, Areola had reacted well to tip over Tolu Arokodare's close-range header from a Joao Gomes cross.

The pattern continued after the break, with Wolves creating further chances while controlling the tempo. Substitute Jorgen Strand Larsen met a cross but headed off target, while Areola blocked efforts from Santiago Bueno and Mane. Jose Sa remained largely untroubled, as West Ham failed to produce a single attempt on target.

West Ham’s attacking threat was also limited in quality, reflected by their expected goals figure of just 0.25. By contrast, Wolves registered 1.52 xG, underlining the margin of their advantage. West Ham played without Lucas Paqueta and rarely tested Wolves' defensive structure throughout the 90 minutes at Molineux.

Defensive numbers under Nuno Espirito Santo added further concern for West Ham. This loss left them on 41 goals conceded after 20 league matches. West Ham had not let in so many goals at this stage of a top-flight season since 1965-66, when they had shipped 44 after 20 games.

2 - In the last two seasons, the only two times that the team in 20th position have led by 3+ goals in a Premier League match have both been against Nuno Esprito Santo. Nott'm Forest 0-3 West Ham (Aug 2025) Wolves 3-0 West Ham (Jan 2026) Painful. pic.twitter.com/jYT7KYEhTkOptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 3, 2026

The tweet above highlighted another difficult statistic for Nuno Espirito Santo. In each of the last two seasons, a side starting a match in 20th position built a three-goal lead against a team coached by Nuno, including this 3-0 Wolves win and West Ham’s 3-0 success at Nott'm Forest in August 2025.

There were important personal milestones for Wolves within the wider result. Hwang produced a goal and assist in the same Premier League game for the first time. Those two contributions exceeded Hwang's combined goal involvements across his previous 22 league appearances for Wolves, showing a sharp rise in output.

Mane’s composed finish also carried historic significance for the club. At 18 years and 109 days, Mane became Wolves' youngest scorer in the Premier League era. Mane’s composed strike past Areola strengthened the hosts’ control and underlined the growing influence of younger players in Rob Edwards’ squad.

Team	Score	xG	Shots on target	Goals conceded this season
Wolves	3	1.52	Several efforts, including Hwang and Mane goals	Not specified
West Ham	0	0.25	0	41 after 20 league games

The result gave Wolves overdue reward after a long wait for a league win, arriving in matchweek 20. West Ham, however, left Molineux under pressure, with form dipping, defence struggling, and historical statistics pointing to deeper issues that Nuno Espirito Santo now needed to address quickly.