Victory at last for Wolves as they crush West Ham

WOLVERHAMPTON - Wolverhampton Wanderers finally ended the worst winless run from the start of a Premier League season with a 3-0 home win against fellow strugglers West Ham United on Jan 3.

No wins from their opening 19 games of the campaign had set an unwanted record for Wolves, surpassing the 17-game winless start of Sheffield United in the 2020-21 season.

But after an encouraging draw at Manchester United in midweek, earning them their third point of the season, Wolves outplayed woeful West Ham to spark joyous scenes at Molineux.

Jhon Arias slid in to put the hosts in front after four minutes and Wolves doubled their lead when Hwang Hee-Chan converted a penalty just past the half-hour mark.

Teenager Mateus Mane made it 3-0 in the 41st minute with a low drive as West Ham crumbled and there was no sight of a revival for the visitors after the break as they failed to have an attempt on target.

Wolves remain bottom with six points from 20 games and still need an extraordinary second half of the season to avoid the drop. West Ham are sinking deeper into trouble and are in 18th place with 14 points, four behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

Only two teams in English top-flight history had failed to win any of their opening 19 games of a season but Bolton Wanderers' record 22-match run in 1902-03 is now safe.

There had been signs that Wolves were beginning to click under new coach Rob Edwards of late, with the draw at Manchester United and a stoppage-time defeat at Premier League leaders Arsenal.

So a visit from a West Ham side without a win in eight league games looked like a gift-wrapped opportunity to begin what would be one of the most incredible escapes from the drop.

They took it in style to end a 23-match run without a Premier League win stretching back to last season.

"We have been improving and progressing and you saw that today. It is another step in the right direction, that is all it was and it is nice it has culminated in a win," Edwards, who replaced Vitor Pereira as coach in November, told the BBC.

"It was a complete performance. I feel we are progressing and building in the right way. We have had a good week with four points."

For former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo it proved a horrible return to the Midlands club he took into Europe.

After he replaced Graham Potter at West Ham in September there was a temporary improvement in results, but he now faces a huge fight to keep the London club in the top flight.

"Individually and as a team, we need to see them not making the mistakes that they are making," he said.

"We need to see effort, we need to see reaction, we need to see character, we need to see many things. It's not good enough, it was poor, it was a lack of effort that really is concerning.

West Ham host Nottingham Forest on Jan 6 in a game they simply cannot afford to lose. REUTERS