Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Sat 11 April 2026 19:10, UK

West Ham United finally lifted themselves out of the relegation zone thanks to a 4-0 win against Wolves on Friday.

Welcoming the basement dwellers to the London Stadium, it was not the easiest of evenings for the Hammers initially, with visitors Wolves taking early control due to the relative lack of pressure.

Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side looked nervous, with no real grasp on the game throughout the first half, before Kostas Mavropanos opened the scoring with a bullet header three minutes before the pause – causing the entire ground to let out a sigh of relief.

The hosts did not let up in the second half, with a double from Taty Castellanos and a second from Mavropanos completing the rout, having you wonder what any of the worry was about in the first place.

It was not the prettiest at times, but West Ham found it in them to get all three points, and that is exactly why they must fully back Nuno should they secure their Premier League future.

Axel Disasi embrace shows how liked Nuno Espirito Santo is

The Portuguese boss arrived at the end of September, initially finding it difficult to turn things around as imagined, after taking over following Graham Potter‘s dismal spell at the helm.

Slowly but surely, he would begin to do exactly that, with an inspired 2-1 win against Tottenham in January completely changing the course of West Ham’s season.

The Irons now sit on 32 points after 32 matches, after sitting on just 14 10 matchdays ago – five away from escaping the bottom three – before the Spurs win kick-started a huge uptick in form.

A classy operator and much-loved figure at the majority of his previous clubs, Nuno has completely galvanised the group, who seem to love playing under him.

Nothing highlights this more than the post-match scenes on Friday, when on-loan defender Axel Disasi embraced his manager following the final whistle.

This can be seen in the below clip posted by the Hammers’ official X account.

As mentioned, Friday’s encounter wasn’t the prettiest, but that is par for the course when involved in a predicament as tight as the current relegation battle.

The simple fact of the matter is that the Hammers found a way to get the result, as they have done time and time again in recent months – further testament to the fight instilled by Nuno.

West Ham survival could signal further progress under Nuno

While his time at Spurs came to an abrupt end after a disappointing start to the season, Nuno’s time in England with both Friday’s opponents Wolves, and Nottingham Forest, shows that the Irons have got themselves a gem.

Guiding the Old Gold to the Premier League for the first time in over half a decade, the 52-year-old became an instant hero at Molineux, before he guided the club to Europe, reaching the Europa League quarter-final, while his side had become the de facto challengers to the ‘big six’ alongside Leicester.

He would do similar with Forest, as he steered the Garibaldi to safety, before taking another club to Europe, this time on the other side of the Midlands.

When given the chance to build a side, there are not many managers with a better track record than Nuno, when it comes to guiding a side up the standings.

During his time with Nottingham Forest, he was able to save the club from relegation, before seeing them qualify for continental competition just a year later, while the record of the Garibaldi since his departure highlights just how much of an overachievement that was.

While the overall quality in the squad is not as high as the years of David Moyes’ European success, the Hammers are a club that should always have continental ambitions, and their current boss may just be the man to get them back in the fight for exactly that.

Should West Ham stay in the Premier League, Nuno deserves the full support of the club as they look to leave what has been a dismal year behind them.