It was a match between two disjointed sides, two teams trying to carve out new identities following the drop into the Championship. In the end West Ham won thanks to a bit of luck, a degree of resolve and, crucially, a sharpness in front of goal that took them away from Wolves and reduced the pressure on Nuno Espírito Santo, for a few days at least.

First half goals from Divine Mukasa and Jarrod Bowen from the penalty spot were complimented by two more in the second, as Mukasa secured his brace alongside a goal for Konstantinos Mavropanos. The defender doubled up himself too, albeit by scoring in his own end, as Wolves tried to claw their way back into contention. The visitors could also claim a decent goal from midfielder Marshall Munetsi to their tally. For all their obvious technical ability, however, Cesar Peixoto’s side lacked the hosts’ sang froid at the crucial moments and that proved the decisive factor.

Nuno’s mantra after the match was “I think we can do better”, but he was clearly grateful for the win. “We all know that it was much needed”, he said. “Looking back even on today, we have mistakes again but we’ve been much more effective in our attacking actions.”

With West Ham’s uncertainty extending beyond the field of play, there was much interest taken from the appearance of Amanda Staveley in the stands here. The former Newcastle shareholder remains in the running to acquire a stake at West Ham and could be seen punching the air at Mukasa’s first-half banger. The City loanee was not the only new recruit to impress, with Arne Engels impressive alongside him in midfield.

What gave off the vibes of being an uninspiring opening half ended up being blessed by three goals. West Ham were on the back foot for much of the opening half hour but established a two-goal lead by the 40th minute after a short spell of improved play. The opening goal was a memorable one, hit by Mukasa from 25 yards and cannoning into the net off the underside of the bar. It was a memorable way for the teenager, signed on loan Manchester City, to open his account, and it came after a piece of smart attacking play that got Kyle Walker-Peters behind Wolves’ defensive line. Seven minutes later, Bowen converted a penalty after swift feet from Joel Piroe confused André into an untimely tackle.

Before Nuno could get his troops into the dressing room and preach the importance of a clean sheet, Wolves hit back. With West Ham’s defense pushing up, a fortunate deflection off the previously-bewildered Andre opened up the opportunity for Marshall Munetsi to run into space, check inside Mavropanos and finishing coolly inside Mads Hermansen’s left hand post.

With nascent enthusiasm tempered by the late concession, the atmosphere among the home support quietened as the second half began, perhaps in anticipation of further trials for West Ham. Instead they extended their lead in short order and it was Mukasa who struck again. This was a lovely move, starting with a cute through ball from Bowen that Pablo dummied to take four Wolves players out of the equation. 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 skipper and beyond the despairing José Sá.

“I’m delighted by the way he played,” Nuno said of Mukasa. “All the young lads, not just those who joined this summer, have brought us energy and talent. There’s a lot of things to improve but I’m delighted to have him.”

Wolves responded to the third goal by grabbing hold of possession once more, but the sprightly Fer López spurned two chances. Up the other end, however, and an Engels’ corner was deep and dangerous and after Mavropanos saw a towering header crash off the bar, the Greek defender smashed the rebound home on the volley. Six minutes after celebrating, Mavropanos got the final touch to a cross from Jackson Tchatchoua to turn it into his own net.

Wolves created no further chances, but could take solace from the performance of full-back Tchatchoua, who looked impactful at both ends, while Mateus Mané was dominant on the left. “We created a lot of chances to score, they scored more goals”, said Peixoto. “West Ham took their chances and that’s the difference.”