West Ham2 - 1Wolves

The contest was dubbed 'El Sackico' due to the pressure mounting on Lopetegui and O'Neil ahead of kick-off at the London Stadium.

The fans sang Michael Antonio's name prior to the first whistle and again in the ninth minute when they rose for a minute of applause, showing support for their number nine who is being treated in hospital after being involved in a road traffic accident on Saturday.

On the pitch, both sides created chances to break the deadlock in the first period, with Bowen, Carlos Soler and Mohammed Kudus going close for the hosts, while Joao Gomes would have been disappointed to miss the target with Wolves's best opportunity of the first period.

Spurred on by the home support, West Ham found the all-important breakthrough in the 53rd minute when Tomas Soucek headed home from Bowen's deep corner.

The complexion of the contest changed when Kudus's disallowed goal was followed by Matt Doherty's 70th-minute equaliser.

However, just as the Hammers appeared to be on the back foot, Bowen produced a moment of magic to restore West Ham's lead with his fourth league goal of the season.

Wolves were controversially denied the chance to equalise from the penalty spot when Konstantinos Mavropanos appeared to tread on Jean-Ricner Bellegarde's foot, only for VAR to rule that the contact was not enough for the on-field decision to be overruled.

As it proved, West Ham saw out the remainder of the contest to claim their first home win since beating Manchester United on October 27.

The Hammers remain in 14th place in the Premier League table, while Wolves are languishing in the drop zone with four points separating them from safety.

WEST HAM VS. WOLVES HIGHLIGHTS

Soucek goal vs. Wolves (54th min, West Ham 1-0 Wolves)

West Ham break the deadlock in this crucial fixture. Soucek peels off the back of the Wolves defence to meet Bowen's deep corner, sending his header looping over Johnstone and in at the far post. The midfielder holds up nine fingers to the camera to dedicate the goal to Antonio.

Kudus disallowed goal vs. Wolves (60th min, West Ham 1-0 Wolves)

Kudus thinks he has doubled West Ham's advantage. The Ghana international taps the ball in from Bowen's low ball across goal. However, replays show that Kudus had just strayed offside, denying the 24-year-old his third league goal of the season.

Doherty goal vs. West Ham (70th min, West Ham 1-1 Wolves)

Wolves are level just moments after having a penalty appeal turned down. Goncalo Guedes plucks a diagonal ball out of the air, before laying the ball off the overlapping Rayan Ait-Nouri. The 23-year-old whips the ball into his fellow wing-back Doherty, who guides his first-time strike past Lukasz Fabianski.

Bowen goal vs. Wolves (72nd min, West Ham 2-1 Wolves)

The Hammers are back in front at the London Stadium. Bowen requires just three minutes to restore the home side's advantage, showcasing his nimble footwork to work the space to drive a low strike into the far corner.

MAN OF THE MATCH - JARROD BOWEN

West Ham's talisman stepped up again to register two goal contributions in a crucial victory for the Hammers and Lopetegui.

Bowen sent in the corner for Soucek to open the scoring and nearly had another assist when he set up Kudus's disallowed goal.

The England international then demonstrated his quality to carve out the winning goal, highlighting why he is such an important player for his side.

WEST HAM VS. WOLVES MATCH STATS

Possession: West Ham 54%-46% Wolves

Shots: West Ham 19-19 Wolves

Shots on target: West Ham 4-5 Wolves

Corners: West Ham 11-0 Wolves

Fouls: West Ham 12-7 Wolves

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

After bouncing back from consecutive defeats, West Ham will look to build on this victory in next Monday's away clash with Bournemouth.

As for Wolves, they will have to lift themselves for Saturday's home meeting with Ipswich Town, but it remains to be seen whether O'Neil will still be in the dugout for that fixture.

Written by

Ben Sully