Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 West Ham United: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Wolves earn first Premier League win

Wolverhampton Wanderers kicked off 2026 with their first Premier League win of the season, thoroughly beating relegation rivals West Ham United 3-0 at Molineux on Saturday.

The Old Gold came into this game after ending their dire 11-match top-flight losing streak with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, and they wasted no time building on that by taking the lead with just four minutes on the clock.

Some fine work from Hwang Hee-chan saw the Korean forward race down the line and drag a low cross back towards Jhon Arias on the edge of the six-yard box, from where the Colombian produced a simple finish to score his first goal for Wolves.

Despite their desperation for points, Rob Edwards's side did not sit back and defend their slim lead, instead adding another from the penalty spot courtesy of Hwang, after Mateus Mane was brought down by Soungoutou Magassa.

The home fans must have thought they were dreaming when they then saw 18-year-old Mane cut inside from the left and fire home Wolves' third, giving them a commanding lead heading into the half-time break.

Nuno Espirito Santo made a number of changes to try and turn things around in the second 45, but the Old Gold stifled West Ham and deservedly took all three points on Saturday, doubling their season total in one outing.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Wolves may be stuck at the bottom of the table, but they have performed significantly better than their results suggest, and finally earned their long-awaited first win of the season on Saturday.

Coming from behind to earn a point against Man United on December 30 seems to have served as a source of confidence for Edwards's side, who also showed positive signs against Liverpool and Arsenal in the weeks prior.

In addition to the three points and three goals this weekend, Wolves will be buoyed by the fact that they denied their opponents even a single shot on target, a remarkable improvement considering that they had conceded an average of more than twice per game before kickoff.

The Old Gold are now 12 points adrift of safety, but if they can reproduce their strong showings going forward, then they could yet pull off a miraculous recovery across the remaining 18 games of the Premier League season.

As for West Ham, they would have seen this clash as a must-win given that they too are facing the serious threat of relegation, but losing in such a manner is sure to be demoralising.

Nuno's men were second-best for the majority of the contest, and their dire attacking output was unable to cover for what is - after this match - the leakiest defence in the top flight.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS VS. WEST HAM UNITED HIGHLIGHTS

4th min: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 West Ham United (Jhon Arias)

Wolves' Hwang squares up to Konstantinos Mavropanos on the left of the West Ham box, before bursting down the line after a quick stepover.

The 29-year-old then pulls a low cross back to the six-yard line, where Arias stretches to bury the chance. Wolves lead!

31st min: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 West Ham United (Hwang Hee-chan)

The Old Gold's Mane has looked lively so far, and he earns a penalty after being fouled by Hammers midfielder Magassa.

Hwang steps up and places his spot kick down the middle, as Alphonse Areola dives to his right.

41st min: Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 West Ham United (Mateus Mane)

Hugo Bueno does well to find space for the pass on the left flank, from where he plays Mane through for a run at the visitors' box.

The youngster then cuts inside and rifles a low, powerful strike into the bottom-left corner. Wolves are in dreamland!

MAN OF THE MATCH - MATEUS MANE

The teenager has been a bright spark during a difficult time for Wolves, and he showed his quality with a brilliant strike to seal the game before half time.

Mane also earned the penalty that led to Hwang doubling the lead, while still putting in the hard work defensively with four tackles.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS VS. WEST HAM UNITED MATCH STATS

Possession: Wolverhampton Wanderers 32%-68% West Ham United

Shots: Wolverhampton Wanderers 11-6 West Ham United

Shots on target: Wolverhampton Wanderers 8-0 West Ham United

Corners: Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-7 West Ham United

Fouls: Wolverhampton Wanderers 11-10 West Ham United

BEST STATS

Wolves have won a Premier League game for the first time since April 2025.

LLLLLDDLLLLLLLLLLLDW

The streak is finally broken. ? pic.twitter.com/ktWdS6LINa
— Squawka (@Squawka) January 3, 2026

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 Espírito Santo.

Nott'm Forest 0-3 West Ham (Aug 2025)
Wolves 3-0 West Ham (Jan 2026)

Painful. pic.twitter.com/jYT7KYEhTk
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 3, 2026

2 - Wolves are leading by 2+ goals in a Premier League game for the first time since April (v Leicester); before today, they had gone 12 consecutive matches without leading at any point. Alleviated. pic.twitter.com/Cdq0FxM1lK
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 3, 2026

WHAT NEXT?

Wolves will be looking for another win when they travel to face Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Wednesday, while West Ham will be desperate to bounce back when they welcome Nottingham Forest to the London Stadium for another must-win game on Tuesday.