Divine Mukasa proved decisive, netting a brace as West Ham emerged triumphant over Wolves with a 4-2 scoreline, finally capturing their inaugural three points since the club’s demotion to the Championship after last season’s relegation. Both sides entered the match having recently dropped from the Premier League, and Wolves, under the fresh leadership of Cesar Peixoto, had the chance to climb to the summit of the table with a win. Instead, they suffered their first defeat under the new manager.
The hosts benefited from contributions by Jarrod Bowen and Konstantinos Mavropanos, while Wolves managed to reply through a goal from Marshall Munetsi and an own‑goal by Mavropanos. The victory eased the mounting pressure on West Ham’s boss, Nuno Espírito Santo, especially on a night when prospective investor Amanda Staveley, leading a consortium interested in acquiring a significant share of the club, was present at the London Stadium. Early on, West Ham struggled to find rhythm. Their relief was palpable when Raul Jiménez, after being found with space in the box by Jackson Tchatchoua, unleashed a wildly inaccurate shot that sailed well over the crossbar.
Jiménez’s next attempt, this time from a corner that drifted to the edge of the penalty area, was more promising. His strike bounced off the turf, rose over goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, and struck the top of the crossbar.
Shortly thereafter, Mateus Mane also found the bar from the left side of the box after Kyle Walker‑Peters failed to clear a cross; the full‑back managed a slight deflection that sent the ball onto the woodwork. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 33rd minute, and it came from the visitors rather than the home side.
Mukasa, a Manchester City loanee, received the ball outside the box and unleashed a rising drive from roughly 20 yards out. The shot clipped the underside of the crossbar before looping into the net, giving West Ham the lead against the flow of the game. The hosts appeared transformed, with Marshall Munetsi forced to block a dangerous run from Max Kilman on the goal line.
Just seven minutes later, a penalty was awarded after Andre lunged at Wolves’ Joel Piroe inside the area. Bowen calmly sent goalkeeper José Sa the wrong way and slotted the penalty home, extending the lead to 2-0. Wolves responded before halftime; in the 43rd minute, Munetsi chased down a loose ball, turned the Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, and fired a low drive past a diving Hermansen, reducing the deficit to 2-1. The second half opened with West Ham further increasing their advantage in the 53rd minute.
Mukasa, now a teenager with a growing reputation, collected a pass from Bowen on the right flank and struck a shot that glanced off the boot of Nasser Djiga. The deflection left Sa with no chance, and the ball rattled into the net for Mukasa’s second goal of the match, making it 3-1. Sa managed to parry a subsequent Bowen effort from a tight angle, but West Ham were not done.
From the corner that followed, centre‑back Mavropanos rose to meet the cross. His header struck the crossbar, rebounded, and he powered the ball home on the second attempt, pushing the score to 4-1 in the 64th minute.
Wolves managed to pull one back in the 69th minute when Mavropanos, attempting to intervene on a chance created by Tchatchoua for substitute Jordan James, inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net. The own‑goal offered a small consolation, but the final whistle confirmed a 4-2 victory for West Ham.
Post‑match, Nuno Espírito Santo reflected on the performance: "We all know it was much‑needed, this win. The way we are trying to grow and to improve, there were mistakes again today that we need to correct but we were able to be dominant. The attacking actions today were much more effective and this is the direction we hope for the team.
If we look at the goals we conceded, it requires more than anything focus, concentration and determination. We must get there, there are a lot of things to work on." Speaking about Mukasa’s impact, Santo added, "I'm delighted, not only for the goals but the way he played, the positions he took in the middle of the park. He is a young player with a lot of things to improve but I'm delighted to have him.
I value a lot the goal as you can imagine but more than anything was his position, the way he distributed the ball, the way he supported and defended. And if he can score then fantastic." Wolves’ manager Cesar Peixoto was candid about his side’s shortcomings: "It was not the result we wanted, we created a lot of chances to score. But congratulations to West Ham, they scored more goals.
Their first goal was a great goal, a shot like that is impossible to defend, but for five minutes after that we were quite disorganised and conceded the penalty. West Ham's third goal was a little lucky.
For the corners and the free‑kicks my goalkeeper was blocked all the time and for the fourth goal they score. It is an unfair result.
Two goals difference is unfair. The last game we won 4‑1 and nothing was 100 per cent good.
In this game nothing was 100 per cent bad. When we went 4‑1 down the team reacted to score one more.
The good thing is that the team stayed organised and as a team to the end. It was an amazing effort from the players but we have to improve some things." The match also featured a number of ancillary moments, such as reminders for fans to use Chrome for a more accessible video player, prompts to watch EFL games on mobile devices, and promotions for free Championship highlights.
Additionally, a promotional note invited readers to participate in the "Super 6" competition for a chance to win £250,000, emphasizing that entry was free.