West Ham demolished Wolves 4-0 to boost their survival bid and, in the process, push Tottenham into the Premier League relegation zone. The win lifted the Hammers above Spurs ahead of Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge at Sunderland on Sunday — Spurs’ first time in the bottom three since January 2009.
Konstantinos Mavropanos opened the scoring with a headed goal before the interval. Two minutes into the second half Taty Castellanos struck twice in quick succession to put the game beyond Wolves, and Mavropanos grabbed a second later on as West Ham completed a dominant evening at home.
The result highlights West Ham’s recent resurgence: after a difficult January they have produced five wins from 11 and moved clear of immediate danger. Wolves, by contrast, remain without an away win in 18 Premier League matches, sit 13 points from safety with just 18 points left to play for, and could see relegation confirmed as early as their trip to Leeds next week.
Crowd reaction included chants of “going down with the Tottenham” aimed at travelling Wolves fans as the hosts celebrated a timely run of form. Nuno Espirito Santo praised his players’ calm and second-half performance, saying the first goal changed everything and that the squad would not give up the fight.
Player ratings:
– West Ham: Hermansen 7, Walker-Peters 7, Disasi 7, Mavropanos 9 (POTM), Diouf 7, Bowen 8, Soucek 7, Fernandes 7, Summerville 7, Pablo 7, Taty 9. Subs: Adama 7, Magassa 7, Wilson 7.
– Wolves: Sa 6, Mosquera 6, S. Bueno 6, Krejci 6, Tchatchoua 6, Andre 6, J. Gomes 6, A. Gomes 6, H. Bueno 6, Bellegarde 7, Armstrong 5. Subs: Mane 6, Arokodare 6, Hwang 6, Edozie 6.
– Player of the Match: Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Reactions:
– Jamie Redknapp (Sky Sports): “In a relegation fight, you need to play to your maximum — and know your strengths and weaknesses. The strengths are up front. Soucek and Fernandes did their jobs… The result will send shockwaves in the other clubs. All the managers in the bottom three are looking at that and going: that’s the last thing we wanted.”
– Nuno Espirito Santo (West Ham): “We are happy, extremely happy. First half was tough, we couldn’t find spaces. The first goal changes everything. The players kept their calm and were amazing in the second half. We spoke after the [other Wolves] game — we said we cannot give up. We won’t give up the fight.”
– Lewis Jones (analysis): Nuno’s teams become forces when fully drilled; West Ham’s January signings — Axel Disasi, Taty Castellanos and Pablo — have been crucial, with Castellanos thriving as the focal point and finally delivering the goals that had been lacking.
– Rob Edwards (Wolves): “I’m bitterly disappointed. The first half was good but two quickfire goals latched onto our mistakes. It’s poor from us. It doesn’t matter who makes the mistakes — we make them as a team. We have to finish strong and respond now.”
The emphatic victory reshapes the bottom of the table: West Ham carry momentum into the run-in, while Wolves face a mounting fight to avoid relegation. Upcoming fixtures will be decisive for both clubs.