West Ham beat Wolves 4-2 as Mukasa brace eases pressure on Nuno
West Ham defeated Wolves 4-2 in a Championship match on 1 September 2026, with Divine Mukasa scoring twice and Konstantinos Mavropanos also on the scoresheet. The result relieved some pressure on manager Nuno Espírito Santo.
The game pitted two disjointed sides attempting to reshape their identities after the drop into the Championship. West Ham’s victory combined elements the club described as luck, resolve and clinical finishing, while interest off the pitch was stirred by Amanda Staveley’s presence in the stands; the former Newcastle shareholder remains in the running to acquire a stake at West Ham and was seen reacting to Mukasa’s opening goal. City loanee Mukasa and new recruit Arne Engels drew particular praise for their contributions in midfield.
West Ham were under pressure for much of the first half-hour but took control late in the period, opening the scoring through Mukasa’s 25-yard strike that hit the underside of the bar and bounced in after Kyle Walker-Peters created the chance. Seven minutes after that, Jarrod Bowen converted a penalty awarded when Joel Piroe’s movement left André committing an untimely tackle.
Wolves responded before half-time when a deflection off André created space for Marshall Munetsi to run into and check inside Mavropanos before finishing into Mads Hermansen’s left-hand post. The goal narrowed the deficit and altered the mood heading into the interval.
The lead was restored early in the second half when Bowen played a through ball that, after a Pablo dummy removed several defenders, found Mukasa on the edge of the box; he beat Toti Gomes, shifted left and struck a shot that deflected off the Wolves skipper and beyond 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.”
An Engels corner produced a headed effort from Konstantinos Mavropanos that struck the bar and was volleyed home, but six minutes later Mavropanos got the final touch to a cross from Jackson Tchatchoua that turned into his own net. Wolves created further openings—Fer López spurned two chances—and the visitors’ full-back Tchatchoua and left-sided performer Mateus Mané offered bright moments, but no additional goals followed. “We created a lot of chances to score, they scored more goals”, said Cesar Peixoto.
After the match Nuno conceded there was room for improvement—“I think we can do better”—and added: “We all know that it was much needed. Looking back even on today, we have mistakes again but we’ve been much more effective in our attacking actions.” The win temporarily eases scrutiny on the manager and moves West Ham clear of Wolves in the immediate aftermath of the fixture.