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This latest defeat marks one more humiliating chapter in an difficult season for West Ham, increasing significant questions about the future of their manager. The Hammers had the misfortune of becoming the initial team to fall to Wolves in this campaign, enabling the West Midlands side to increase their league points and boost their aspirations of evading the tag in the record books as the worst team in Premier League annals.

Commanding First-Half Performance Seals Historic Victory

Fewer than the first four minutes of the match, Wolves managed to demonstrate of finding some resolve. The lively Hwang Hee-chan offered a taste of his revitalised form with a lengthy run before turning provider following neat link-up play with Mateus Mané. The resulting cut-back found an unmarked Jhon Arias, who slid home from point-blank range to give Wolves a lead at Molineux for the first time since early October. Vibrancy was evident both on the field and in the terraces, a rarity for much of the term.

Facing a side terribly out of form and deprived of creative player Lucas Paquetá through injury, this represented the hosts' best opportunity for a win to date. At first confused by taking the lead, Wolves opted to protect it doggedly, falling back with eleven players behind the ball early on.

Generous Guests Add to West Ham's Problems

West Ham were accommodating guests, contributing to their own demise. First, former Wolves captain Max Kilman was unable to make a routine clearance from a cross, allowing Mané to pounce, before being brought down by Soungoutou Magassa inside the box. The teenage midfielder, formerly of Rochdale, was proving the most influential man on the pitch. Hwang stepped up to convert the resulting penalty, doubling the advantage. Ironic chants of "We will win the league" rang around Molineux.

Lacking confidence and inspiration, West Ham were drifting out of the game despite dominating the ball, managing just a solitary shot in the opening period.

The visitors' frustrations deepened shortly before halftime. The confident Mané, a youth among nervous senior players, turned exquisitely, cut in from the left flank, and fired a driven effort into the bottom corner from outside the box for his first professional goal. At last, the home supporters could enjoy themselves.

Ineffective Second-Half Comeback Attempt

With little to lose, coach Nuno made a double substitution at the interval and switched to a more attacking 3-4-3 shape. However, key forward Jarrod Bowen remained muted, and even introduction of Crysencio Summerville did not generate the required threat.

A lingering sense of anxiety still affected Wolves' decision-making, uncertain whether to clear the ball to safety or build patiently. But, they need not have worried against such meek opponents. West Ham's inherent failings became painfully apparent as they produced nothing of substance in the attacking areas.

Critical Fixtures On the Horizon

Ultimately, Wolves looked like the only side capable of adding to the scoreline, and West Ham will be relieved the damage was not greater. Attention now shifts to a critical midweek fixture at home to 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, a match vital in the battle for top-flight survival. On this evidence, the Hammers have cause to be very worried.