After a long run of disappointing results, Wolverhampton Wanderers finally breathed a sigh of relief, securing their first Premier League victory of the season. This well-deserved win came against West Ham United, with a resounding 3-0 scoreline, in the match played on Saturday as part of the 20th round of the competition.
Details of the night the curse was broken
Wolves entered the match determined to end their disastrous run of form that had plagued them since the start of the season. They wasted no time in demonstrating their attacking intentions, effectively sealing the victory very early in the first half. John Arias opened the scoring in the fourth minute, giving the team a huge morale boost, before South Korean Hwang Hee-chan doubled the lead in the 31st minute. Just before halftime, in the 41st minute, Matheus Mane delivered the final blow, scoring the third goal and virtually securing the three points for the team before the break.
A negative record in Premier League history
The significance of this victory lies in the fact that it ended a dark chapter in the club's and the competition's history. Wolverhampton Wanderers had recorded the worst start in Premier League history, failing to win any of their first 19 matches. This surpassed Sheffield United's poor start to the 2020-21 season, when they only secured their first victory in the 18th round. This negative record had placed immense psychological pressure on the players and coaching staff, making the win against West Ham a morale booster even more so than a mathematical one.
The struggle at the bottom and the calculations of survival
Despite the jubilation of this victory, Wolverhampton still faces a long and arduous road to avoid relegation. The team remains at the bottom of the Premier League table with just 6 points, a tally that would require a footballing miracle in the second half of the season to guarantee their survival. Meanwhile, this defeat compounded the woes of West Ham United, whose points total remains at 14, placing them in 18th position and putting them in a genuine relegation battle to escape the specter of dropping to the Championship.
This encounter demonstrates the ferocity of the competition in the English Premier League, where there are no big or small teams when it comes to the struggle for survival, and confirms that the upcoming rounds will witness fierce football battles between the bottom teams to cling to the hope of remaining in the strongest league in the world.
