Premier LeagueWolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 West Ham United
Saturday, 3rd January 2026
by Chris Wilkerson | Forum match thread
Wolverhampton Wanderers won their first Premier League game of the season as West Ham arrived at Molineux and gave one of the most abject and embarrassing performances of this any year.
The team on only three points come January were able to double that tally, smashing three goals past a lifeless West Ham before the half-time mark.The manager, who deserves to see the end of his time at the club after this, could do nothing to change it, overseeing a second half with a back five, leaving his new striker sitting on the bench watching, as the game ended in a 3-0 that could have been many more.
In a game that had been labelled must-win for well over a month, The Hammers again floundered, and any hope of survival burned out. There was not a single outfield player who started the game that couldn't be embarrassed by their performance, with only Areola having even close to a good game.
Soucek and Mayers were improvements off the bench, yet they were somehow left as the only changes as Nuno watched his side offer no signs of a comeback and seemingly deemed it good enough to continue.
Among the worst were the pathetic central defensive pair, Kilman and Mavropanos, two of the worst centre backs that have ever played for this club. Not just bad at football, but gutless with it.
Potts and Magassa had their worst games in West Ham shirts, the latter a major part in the first two goals as he allowed the midfield to completely open up for the first, and then committed the foul that gave Wolves a penalty for their second.
But there was nobody to cling to. Even Jarrod Bowen was inept, and looked a man who could no longer feign interest in lifting this team from their own ineptitude. A captain he is not.
By the end, at least Fernandes was trying, and Soucek and Mayers both were far better than the players who had started. That was the best of it, outside Areola making a few good saves, as West Ham lost another to extend to nine games without a win, their longest winless run since 2011.
The manager was forced into two changes, with Paqueta and Todibo both injured in the 2-2 draw with Brighton four days earlier. Summerville and Mavropanos were their replacements.
The Dutch winger started in a lively fashion, and West Ham could have had a penalty inside a minute when he stole the ball of a Wolves defender and passed it to Potts inside the area.
The midfielder took a loose touch and then danced around his defender, only to go down as he went past him. Potts cried penalty, but the referee disagreed. There was contact, undoubtedly, it was whether the officials deemed it enough. As VAR quickly dismissed it, the case was closed.
The Hammers were getting on top early, but there were loose touches everywhere. Bowen gave the ball away multiple times, Magassa failed to keep control. And it was the young Frenchman making a poor decision in the middle that saw The Hammers exposed and then concede.
A ball into Mane on halfway saw Magassa try to steal the ball, overcommitting and being easily eased off it by the young midfielder. He turned away and had acres of space ahead of him to play forward to Hwang Hee-Chan.
The South Korean took it down the left of the box, and Mavropanos made the decision to stand off him, making no effort to close him or the ball down. It allowed the forward to take it on and drive a low ball into the area under no pressure.
That delivery was behind Arokodare's run, but was met by Arias, who drove into the space unmarked and poked home from six yards to give Wolves the lead.
Rob Edwards has improved Wolves by giving them fight and desire. They won't survive, but it is clear they are playing for pride. It is the kind of thing that will hold them in good stead as they start their promotion battle next year, and it's everything this West Ham side lack.
There was another West Ham penalty shout, and another reasonably good one turned down as Summerville chased a Fernandes pass into the box and went down with a defender's arm around his waist dragged him down.
Again, the referee turned it away, and it was another of those that you can see why it would and would not be given. This season, West Ham are getting none of those decisions in their favour.
The whole move came in one of the rare moments that the team passed with any speed. Otherwise, Wolves packed their defence and West Ham passed it slowly in front of them.
When the home side did come out, pouncing on the dawdling of their opponents, there was plenty of space for them to play in. Some of this was just a result of playing on the counter, but there were also gaps in the West Ham defence that were faults of poor structure and play.
And whilst the space helped them double the lead, it was abject incompetence from a centre back and another Magassa mistake that gave them the second.
For some reason, Bueno was left under zero pressure to curl in a cross on the left wing. For reasons that nobody will ever understand, Kilman couldn't follow the cross and ended up flicking it up into the air off his thigh with nobody around him. It popped up into the box, and as Magassa put out a leg to clear, he was beaten to it.
Boot connected with boot, and as the Wolves player tumbled, the referee finally saw a penalty he'd like to give. Hwang stepped up, rolled it down the middle as Areola dived to a corner, and Wolves were well on their way to a first win.
It should be no surprise that Wolves looked far better than their three-point tally would suggest. Recent results have given little, but they scored all three goals in a last-minute 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, lost by a single goal at Anfield, and held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in their last outing.
This, for them, would have been a targeted game. Having beaten The Hammers in the League Cup earlier this season, they would have been chomping at the bit.
In contrast, West Ham looked a team that knew anything but victory was failure, and they had to win to stand any chance of survival. Once things went against them, they looked resigned to their fate.
This is a team lacking quality, but quality was not the only issue. The attitude was wrong, and there is something festering in this side. Nobody talks, nobody fought, and nobody had any confidence in their game.
A brief breakaway with Wilson played through by Bowen fizzled out as the striker turned down the chance to play a difficult pass into the space Summerville was attacking, and it was all Wolves, rampant and flying now with confidence.
They nearly had a third, if not for a fantastic Areola save. This time, a corner was headed out and Gomes was able to waltz forward and cross under no pressure. Arokodare climbed above the hapless Kilman and headed down at goal from six yards, only for Areola to somehow find a way to flick out a leg and power it over the bar when he should have been beaten once more.
But those gaps of space that West Ham allowed were on show again, and horribly exposed for the third and final goal. It was as good an example as you could see in just how pathetic the defensive performance was as a collective, not just individually.
Mane drifted behind the defenders on the right, inexcusably alone on the edge of the box as all left him for somebody else.
With space, he pushed central and then hammered an effort at goal as Mavropanos turned his back rather than trying any sort of challenge. It whizzed past him and arrowed wonderfully into the bottom corner down to the near post, Areola beaten by a mix of power and perfect placement.
Some of the away fans turned to leave, and if they did just head for a pint rather than the exits, the team did not reward them with anything in the second half.
Nuno made two changes, the only two he made as he seemed to be lost in the moving chants of the home fans in an improved, but pointless second half. Soucek and Mayers came on for Potts and Magassa, both of whom will struggle to play as badly again, but who were also far from the only pair performing poorly.
There was an early chance for Bowen, Soucek finding Summerville with a fantastic diagonal across the park that the winger took down well, and found Bowen with a lovely curling cross, only for the captain to try the audacious when in space. The ball was behind him, but he could have taken a touch.
It was the only kick of life. Not a soul looked confident in creating anything. Fernandes worked very hard, Soucek looked like he should have started and managed to show the pride and endeavour those players who started had lacked, but West Ham could have played for days without scoring.
The back three may have stabilised them, and Mayers is a composed footballer, but it was baffling to see the manager do nothing as the half continued and his team eventually let the home side take control again. They could be disappointed not to have won by more.
Hugo Bueno again sauntered forwards without any resistance, beating two when approaching the edge of the box before forcing a fantastic save by Areola when curling at goal. Strand Larsen was introduced, and should have done better when Arias chipped a cross into the box that was right on his head, but he put it wide as he stood unmarked.
There was frustration as Soucek was pulled down at the far post on a corner, mirroring the penalty that Paqueta conceded against Brighton. This time, the referee dismissed it, not interested in a foul off the ball.
Areola was kept busy, making two more decent saves under pressure, but the game was done at half time. This was an abject and embarrassing performance, a deflating day that turned disappointment to anger. Whilst many underperformed, some of the worst criticism can be pointed towards a captain who looked beaten and a manager who looked out of his depth.
Still only four points behind Nottingham Forest, it's the latest in a run of perceived winnable games that have been thrown away by a team that it's hard to find kind words for. Next up is Dyche's side, and if this defeat wasn't terminable, a loss on Tuesday night may be.
Manager's Rating
Nuno Espirito Santo: 2/10 He gets two points because the team were improved in the second half. They were still bad, but they had been so poor in the first half and matching up to Wolves clearly helped. His team were not prepared for this game, and whilst the players have to take some responsibility, it's a manager's job to have them motivated. They appeared not to be, and they were structurally all at sea. It was the worst West Ham performance for many years, possibly worse than any Avram games, closer to the Blackburn 7-1 defeat. Not many managers can go winless for nine and lose to a team without a win and keep their job. He would be beyond lucky to still be employed on Tuesday.
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Click to view all West Ham United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers match reports Click to view all match reports by Chris Wilkerson Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.Player Ratings
Alphonse AreolaOne criticism would be that he clearly is not talking to his defence enough, as shown when Walker-Peters headed a cross out behind when he had no pressure on him. Made some decent saves, nothing major.
Kyle Walker-Peters
The side need more from him going forward, and he had a bad day defensively. His cover from Bowen was poor, but he made some bad decisions at crucial moments.
Ollie Scarles
His short passing was poor in moments, but he seemed to lack confidence when holding possession as his teammates stood still. Defended with strength and it was the young lads who looked like they had pride.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
He's not a footballer who can engage his brain. Needs to be braver, and it appears that he, like Kilman, is not to be trusted in defence without a leader telling him what to do. Poor on two goals, and in inexcusable ways cowardly and a bit stupid.
Max Kilman
If we're going for cowardly, Kilman would stand head and shoulders above the rest, except I expect he's crouched behind the sofa instead. His mind is completely at sea, indecision screaming as he hit that cross up into the air with his thigh. Lost headers he could have won because he can't command. Every game he plays is a risk.
Soungoutou Magassa
What he gets that Kilman and Mavropanos don't get, in terms of a little credit in his bad performance, is that he was trying to make a difference. Getting into that challenge in midfield was naive, but someone does need to put players under pressure and the defence should have done better after. The penalty was unlucky, and they're both mistakes of naivety.
Freddie Potts
Looked lost as the game got stretched. This has been his weakness since making the first team, he finds it hard to hold a midfield when the game gets quick and his side have piled forward.
Mateus Fernandes
He lacked guile to create in the middle, and it highlighted how big Paqueta's absence can be, but he also worked his hardest and was one of the few who failed to sit and stay beaten. That fight is lacking in nearly every other player.
Crysencio Summerville
What a frustrating footballer. He did beat players on occasion, but often running into traffic. He's lost any instinctive play, often waiting on the ball first to check his options rather than playing with freedom, and he freezes in and around the area. He's starting to look like one of those players that is too good for the Championship, not good enough for the Premier League.
Jarrod Bowen
This was a bad performance from a player who looks either mentally or physically beat. His energy is gone, and he's not only not getting through the defensive work he once did, he's also not beating players. It's clear that he is limited by the lack of threat his teammates carry, meaning he can be doubled-up on much easier and there is nobody creating space for him.
Callum Wilson
Too slow and not strong enough. He's a box striker, and that's not something Premier League teams start games with. He's no Haaland.
Substitutes
Tomas Soucek(Magassa 46') For the first 15 minutes or so, he was pulling the strings and playing well. Didn't get into the box enough, although once he did, he was barely found anyway.
Ezra Mayers
(Potts 46') Neat and tidy, he was the defender who seemed the most comfortable pushing forward as part of the back three.
Mads Hermansen
Did not play.
Igor Julio
Did not play.
Mohamadou Kante
Did not play.
Guido Rodriguez
Did not play.
Airidas Golambeckis
Did not play.
George Earthy
Did not play.
Pablo Felipe
Did not play.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Alphonse Areola, Kyle Walker-Peters, Ollie Scarles, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman, Soungoutou Magassa, Freddie Potts, Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen, Callum Wilson.Goals: None.
Booked: None booked. .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa (c), Tchatchoua, Mosquera, S Bueno, Krejci, H Bueno, Gomes (Andre 46), Arias, Mane (Chirewa 86), Hwang (Strand Larsen 61), Tolu (Wolfe 88).
Subs not used: Johnstone, Doherty, Hoever, Lopez, Gonzalez.
Goals: Arias (4), Hwang (pen 31), Mane (41).
Booked: Tchatchoua.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Peter Bankes.
Attendance: 29,874.
Man of the Match: Alphonse Areola.