Konstantinos Mavropanos and Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos each netted braces in the second half as West Ham United surged out of the relegation zone, delivering a 4-0 defeat to 20th-placed Wolves at the London Stadium on Friday.
Mavropanos opened the scoring with a header just before halftime, giving the Irons a slight edge in a fairly balanced contest. Castellanos then added two quick goals within three minutes in the second half before Mavropanos secured his second goal in the 83rd minute.
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WATCH — West Ham v Wolves full match replay
With this victory, West Ham climbed to 17th place with a total of 32 points, sitting level with 16th-place Nottingham Forest and just one point behind Leeds United. More crucially, they pushed Spurs into the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, Wolves remain mired at 17 points, trailing the safety line by 15 points with only six matches left to play and a maximum of 18 points available.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Unique Challenge
It’s a peculiar situation for West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo, as his team moves up to 17th place while relegating one former club (Wolves) to the brink of demotion and pushing another (Spurs) into the bottom three. They now also set their sights on Nottingham Forest, the club that dismissed him earlier this year. A team led by a seasoned and affable Portuguese coach can achieve much more if they avoid unrealistic expectations of play style. Based on their attacking performances in recent weeks, fans might be optimistic about a rejuvenated campaign under Nuno in the summer. On the other hand, Wolves, under Rob Edwards, have struggled to find consistent form, possibly running out of energy as their season winds down. If they keep the manager who once led Luton Town to promotion, they could be in a good position to bounce back next season.
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Upcoming Fixtures
West Ham will have to wait 10 days for their next match against Crystal Palace on April 20, while Wolves are scheduled to face Leeds on Saturday, April 18.
West Ham vs Wolves Match Summary: 4-0
Goals: Konstantinos Mavropanos 42′, 83′, Valentin Castellanos 66′, 68′
Highlights of the Match
Mavropanos Strikes First — West Ham 1-0 Wolves
Mavropanos capitalizes on a chaotic situation to score his brace for the Irons!
Back-to-Back Goals for Irons — West Ham 3-0 Wolves
Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos has been consistently threatening and finds the scoresheet twice in quick succession. First, he intercepts a pass from Wolves’ Mateus Mane and combines with Pablo Felipe to score the second. Just two minutes later, Bowen steals possession, and Castellanos’ shot takes a deflection en route to making it 3-0.
Halftime Insights — West Ham 1-0 Wolves
Shots on goal stood at 7-6 in favor of West Ham in the latter stages of the first half, with possession being tightly contested. Either team could have taken the lead, but Mavropanos’ header made the difference.
Jose Sa Makes Key Saves
Pablo Felipe seized the ball following a clever pass from Taty Castellanos, testing Jose Sa with a shot that the keeper did well to reduce to a corner.
Mavropanos Scores — West Ham 1-0 Wolves
Jarrod Bowen wins a corner, which is partially cleared by Wolves. The ball is regained and sent back to Bowen, whose cross is converted by Mavropanos with a towering header.
1-0, 42′
Armstrong Denied
Adam Armstrong directs a header on target, but Mads Hermansen adjusts well and collects the ball, keeping the score level at 0-0 around the 36-minute mark.
Match Start Analysis
The opening minutes saw Wolves dominate possession and shot attempts, but West Ham started to settle into the game as it progressed.
Starting Lineups
West Ham: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Disasi, Mavropanos, Diouf, Soucek, Fernandes, Summerville, Bowen, Felipe, Castellanos
Wolves: Sa, Tchatchoua, Mosquera, S. Bueno, Krejci, H. Bueno, Andre, J. Gomes, Bellegarde, A. Gomes, Armstrong
Match Preview
West Ham’s manager Nuno Espirito Santo aims to prevent his former club, Wolves, from escaping relegation, as they remain 13 points adrift of safety with only 21 points at stake for the rest of the season.
WATCH — West Ham v Wolves
Both teams have bounced back from dismal starts to the season. West Ham went from a record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 7 losses to 4 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses since January 17. Wolves, after a historically poor start that saw them win not a single match in the Premier League in their first 20 games, have recorded 3 wins, 6 draws, and 4 losses since then, including a recent three-match unbeaten streak featuring victories over Aston Villa and Liverpool.
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West Ham Team News
OUT: Lukasz Fabianski (back injury) | QUESTIONABLE: Konstantinos Mavropanos (head injury), Jean-Clair Todibo (calf), Crysencio Summerville (lower leg), Alphonse Areola (calf)
Wolves Team News
OUT: Enso Medina (knee), Sam Johnstone (knock)
Prediction for West Ham vs Wolves
A draw won’t suffice for West Ham to escape relegation due to goal differential, while a point could seal Wolves’ fate. Both teams, driven and committed, may end up settling for a draw, especially since West Ham comes off an exhausting FA Cup exit. Prediction: West Ham 1-1 Wolves.
How to Watch West Ham vs Wolves
Kick-off time: 3 PM ET Friday
Venue: London Stadium — East London
TV Channel: USA Network
Streaming: Watch on USA