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This latest loss constitutes one more humiliating chapter in a torrid season for West Ham, amplifying significant doubts about the future of their manager. The Hammers became the first team to succumb to Wolves this term, allowing the Midlands outfit to double their league points and boost their aspirations of evading the tag in the history books as the least successful team in Premier League annals.

Commanding First-Half Performance Seals Long-Awaited Victory

Fewer than four minutes into the match, Wolves managed to demonstrate of finding much-needed confidence. The lively Hwang Hee-chan offered a taste of his revitalised form with a long run before laying on an assist following sharp combination play with Mateus Mané. His cut-back found an unmarked Jhon Arias, who tapped in from point-blank range to give Wolves a home lead for the first time since early October. Vibrancy could be felt both on the field and in the stands, a sight for most of the term.

Facing a team terribly short on confidence and deprived of creative player Lucas Paquetá through injury, this represented the hosts' clearest chance for a win to date. Initially confused by being ahead, Wolves chose to protect it fiercely, falling back with all men behind the ball from an early stage.

Compliant Opponents Add to West Ham's Miseries

West Ham proved accommodating guests, adding to their own downfall. First, ex- Wolves captain Max Kilman was unable to make a simple clearance from a cross, allowing Mané to intervene, only to be fouled by Soungoutou Magassa in the box. The teenage player, formerly of Rochdale, emerged as the key figure on the pitch. Hwang stepped up to score the subsequent penalty, doubling the lead. Tongue-in-cheek chants of "We will win the league" echoed around Molineux.

Lacking belief and ideas, West Ham were drifting out of the game despite controlling possession, registering just a single shot in the first half.

The visitors' woes deepened just prior to halftime. The confident Mané, a youth among trepidatious adults, turned exquisitely, cut in from the left, and fired a driven shot into the far corner from outside the box for his first professional goal. At last, the Wolves fans could enjoy themselves.

Fruitless Second-Half Response

With little to lose, manager Nuno made a double substitution at the interval and altered to a offensive 3-4-3 shape. Yet, star forward Jarrod Bowen was quiet, and the introduction of Crysencio Summerville did not generate the necessary threat.

A lingering sense of anxiety still affected Wolves' judgment, unsure whether to hoof the ball to safety or play out from the back. However, they had no need to been concerned against such meek resistance. West Ham's inherent deficiencies were increasingly apparent as they created nothing of note in the final third.

Crucial Matches On the Horizon

In the end, Wolves were the only side likely of adding to the tally, and West Ham will be relieved the damage was not more severe. Attention now shifts to a critical Tuesday fixture at home to 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, a match vital in the battle for top-flight survival. Based on this evidence, West Ham should have every reason to be afraid.