West Ham secured a commanding Championship victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Divine Mukasa’s brace proving the decisive contribution in a four-goal home display.
The Manchester City loanee opened his account in stunning fashion, striking from 25 yards with a shot that cannoned into the net off the underside of the bar in what was a memorable debut goal.
Jarrod Bowen then added a second from the penalty spot after swift feet from Joel Piroe drew an untimely tackle from André, giving West Ham a comfortable two-goal cushion by the 40th minute.
Wolves hit back before half-time when Marshall Munetsi ran onto a fortunate deflection and finished coolly inside Mads Hermansen’s left-hand post to give the visitors renewed belief heading into the break.
The home side quickly reasserted themselves after the interval, however, with Mukasa adding his second goal after a clever dummy from Pablo took four Wolves players out of the game.
Receiving on the edge of the box, Mukasa stood up Toti Gomes, shifted to his left and hit a shot that deflected off the Wolves captain and beyond the despairing José Sá.
Konstantinos Mavropanos then made it four with a powerful volley after his own header had crashed back off the crossbar from Arne Engels’ dangerous corner delivery.
The Greek defender’s joy was short-lived, as he turned a cross from Jackson Tchatchoua into his own net just six minutes later to give César Peixoto’s side a route back into the contest.
Wolves pressed for a further goal but could not find the cutting edge to seriously threaten, with Fer López missing a headed chance and firing another effort into the side netting despite promising approach work from Mateus Mané.
The match was played against a backdrop of off-field intrigue at West Ham, with former Newcastle shareholder Amanda Staveley spotted in the stands as she continues her pursuit of a stake in the club.
Staveley was seen punching the air in celebration at Mukasa’s first-half effort, underlining the interest surrounding the club’s ownership situation heading into the second half of the season.
Engels also impressed alongside Mukasa in midfield, suggesting West Ham’s summer recruitment is beginning to bear fruit as both sides continue to reshape their identities following relegation from the Premier League.
For Nuno Espírito Santo, the defeat will sting given the quality Wolves showed in patches, particularly through the lively Tchatchoua and the dominant Mané on the left flank, but the final product remained absent when it mattered most.
West Ham, by contrast, showed a clinical edge that separated the two sides and, for the time being at least, reduces the pressure building around Nuno’s position in the Wolves dugout.