West Ham claimed a valuable Premier League victory over Wolves to reignite their pursuit of a top-four finish.
Tomas Soucek celebrated his 27th birthday by scoring the only goal of the game for the Hammers, with the Czech Republic international poking home from Michail Antonio’s pass.
The result moves West Ham up to fifth in the table, above Arsenal on goal difference and two points behind Manchester United in fourth – however the Gunners have three games in hand on both.
Consecutive draws had seen David Moyes’ side lose ground near the top of the table but they created several excellent chances to score and deserved their win over opponents who also have European aspirations.
Aaron Cresswell and Declan Rice both went close to opening the scoring for the hosts, with England midfielder Rice curling a superb 20-yard effort against the right-hand post.
Jarrod Bowen, Soucek and Pablo Fornals all had opportunities to double their advantage and ensure a more comfortable conclusion for the hosts who were forced to withstand some late pressure from Wolves, who stay eighth.
Bruno Lage’s team struggled for fluency after he made five changes to the side that started Thursday’s defeat at Arsenal.
And while they improved after the break, the second-half introductions of Raul Jimenez, Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto were unable to make a difference to the outcome.
Before kick-off West Ham captain Rice held up a shirt with team-mate Andriy Yarmolenko’s name and number on the back as the sides lined up to express their support for the Ukrainian and his homeland which is still under attack by Russia.
Lacklustre Wolves
Prior to kick-off Lage said his changes were designed to provide Wolves with greater energy.
However, after the opening 15 minutes there was no noticeable evidence his decision was influencing proceedings as West Ham grew into the game.
Rice and Soucek took control of midfield and the likes of Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma enjoyed a relatively comfortable afternoon against Fabio Silva and Hwang Hee-chan.
The South Korea international was also guilty of missing Wolves’ best opportunity, placing the ball wide from 12 yards just before the break.
Had he found the bottom corner it may have altered the complexion of the match, and ensured Wolves came away with at least a point despite having only one shot on target.
Hammers back on track
After a slight stutter of late this was more like it for West Ham and their manager Moyes, who punched the air with delight at the final whistle.
While Antonio’s goalless run extended to eight games, the Jamaica forward was a handful throughout.
He made a vital contribution in teeing up Soucek and may have had a goal of his own had he elected to shoot instead of picking out a team-mate after escaping down the left.
Meanwhile, Rice and Soucek, working in tandem at the base of the Hammers’ midfield, epitomised everything that was good about their performance.
The duo covered more ground than any other players on the pitch, never shirked their defensive duties and on another day both might have been rewarded with goals from several excellent forays upfield.
Player of the match
Rúben NevesRúben Neves
West Ham United
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Squad number41Player nameRiceAverage rating
8.06
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Squad number28Player nameSoucekAverage rating
7.80
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Squad number20Player nameBowen
Average rating7.57
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Squad number3Player nameCresswell
Average rating7.55
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Squad number1Player nameFabianski
Average rating7.48
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Squad number31Player nameJohnson
Average rating7.45
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Squad number9Player nameAntonio
Average rating7.44
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Squad number8Player nameFornals
Average rating7.41
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Squad number10Player nameLanzini
Average rating7.38
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Squad number15Player nameDawson
Average rating7.37
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Squad number4Player nameZouma
Average rating6.66
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Squad number11Player nameVlasic
Average rating6.58
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Squad number23Player nameDiop
Average rating6.57
Wolverhampton Wanderers
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Squad number8Player nameRúben Neves
Average rating8.99
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Squad number1Player nameJosé Sá
Average rating6.17
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Squad number7Player namePedro Neto
Average rating5.73
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Squad number23Player nameKilman
Average rating5.68
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Squad number16Player nameCoady
Average rating5.57
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Squad number27Player nameSaïss
Average rating5.51
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Squad number10Player nameDaniel Podence
Average rating5.38
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Squad number17Player nameFábio Silva
Average rating5.23
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Squad number9Player nameJiménez
Average rating5.22
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Squad number32Player nameDendoncker
Average rating5.18
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Squad number26Player nameHwang Hee-Chan
Average rating4.96
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Squad number2Player nameHoever
Average rating4.89
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Squad number5Player nameMarçal
Average rating4.77
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Squad number11Player nameTrincão
Average rating4.51
Line-ups
West Ham
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Fabianski
- 31Johnson
- 15Dawson
- 4Zouma
- 3Cresswell
- 28Soucek
- 41Rice
- 20Bowen
- 10Lanzini
- 8FornalsSubstituted forDiopat 90+3′minutes
- 9AntonioBooked at 82minsSubstituted forVlasicat 90+1′minutes
Substitutes
- 11Vlasic
- 13Areola
- 16Noble
- 22Benrahma
- 23Diop
- 33Král
- 40Oko-Flex
- 42Alese
- 64Perkins
Wolves
Formation 3-4-2-1
- 1Malheiro de Sá
- 23Kilman
- 16Coady
- 27Saïss
- 2Hoever
- 8Neves
- 32Dendoncker
- 5MarçalSubstituted forNetoat 76′minutes
- 11Machado TrincãoSubstituted forPodenceat 60′minutes
- 26Hwang Hee-ChanSubstituted forJiménezat 81′minutes
- 17Fábio Silva
Substitutes
- 3Aït-Nouri
- 7Neto
- 9Jiménez
- 10Podence
- 15Boly
- 19Castro Otto
- 21Ruddy
- 28João Moutinho
- 39Cundle
- Referee:
- Anthony Taylor
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, West Ham United 1, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0.
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Second Half ends, West Ham United 1, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0.
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Substitution, West Ham United. Issa Diop replaces Pablo Fornals.
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Substitution, West Ham United. Nikola Vlasic replaces Michail Antonio.
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Attempt saved. Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Romain Saïss.
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Attempt blocked. Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Leander Dendoncker.
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Attempt blocked. Raúl Jiménez (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Pedro Neto.
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Michail Antonio (West Ham United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Raúl Jiménez (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Michail Antonio (West Ham United).
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Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Raúl Jiménez replaces Hwang Hee-Chan.
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Corner, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Kurt Zouma.
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Attempt blocked. Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Leander Dendoncker.
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Corner, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Kurt Zouma.
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Attempt blocked. Daniel Podence (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Hwang Hee-Chan.
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Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Pedro Neto replaces Marçal.
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Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Tomas Soucek (West Ham United).
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Corner, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Kurt Zouma.
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Attempt blocked. Fábio Silva (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
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