Wolves move further away from relegation zone
Wolves 1 - 0 West Ham United
Jørgen Strand Larsen continued his fine form with his third goal in two games as Wolverhampton Wanderers secured a crucial victory over West Ham United, easing their relegation concerns.
The Norwegian forward, who missed the international break with a fractured hand, made an instant impact on his return, notching his 10th Premier League goal of the season.
With Wolves still without the suspended Matheus Cunha, it was Strand Larsen who stepped up, steering home in the 21st minute after an intricate run from João Gomes—his effort helped on its way by a slight deflection off former Wolves defender Max Kilman.
The hosts almost doubled their advantage five minutes later following another driving run from Gomes, but Marshall Munetsi’s effort rattled the crossbar after a smart link-up with Strand Larsen.
West Ham, sluggish in the first half, should have drawn level early on when Evan Ferguson—handed his first start since joining on loan from Brighton—failed to convert Jarrod Bowen’s cut-back at the far post.
Looking to shake things up, Graham Potter made three changes at the break, introducing Carlos Soler, Niclas Füllkrug and Edson Álvarez. The visitors immediately carried more attacking intent, with Füllkrug (returning from a hamstring injury) wasting a golden opportunity when he scuffed his finish after breaking in behind the Wolves defence.
West Ham grew into the game, dictating possession and forcing Wolves onto the counter. Strand Larsen came close to a second, narrowly missing the target from Matt Doherty’s pull-back after a swift break.
The visitors appealed for a penalty when Doherty appeared to catch Füllkrug with a high boot, but VAR upheld referee Tony Harrington’s decision not to award a spot-kick. Füllkrug then struck the bar with a powerful header, though the offside flag would have denied him in any case.
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West Ham’s best chance came in the 90th minute when Tomáš Souček found himself through on goal, only to drag his shot wide with just José Sá to beat.
Wolves had a late chance to seal the win on the counter, but Munetsi failed to find the target after being played in by Strand Larsen.
The victory was only Wolves’ fourth at Molineux this season and lifts Vítor Pereira’s side 12 points clear of the drop. They remain 17th and five points adrift of West Ham, who missed the chance to leapfrog Everton and Tottenham.
