Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen scored the only goal of the game as they made it two wins in a row and put some more daylight between them and the Premier League relegation places.
The win leaves Wolves in 17th spot on 29 points, 12 ahead of Ipswich Town in 18th and 19th-placed Leicester City, who are both in action on Wednesday against Bournemouth and Manchester City respectively. West Ham United are 16th on 34 points.
The visitors almost took an early lead when Jarrod Bowen made his way down the right before putting in a low cross in the 13th minute, but the ball went just behind striker Evan Ferguson and he failed to get a clean shot away.
Wolves defender Toti Gomes also went close to scoring three minutes later as he met a near-post free kick with a header that flashed towards goal and forced a great save from Alphonse Areola.
Strand Larsen struck in the 21st minute, picking up the ball on edge of the box and drilling a deflected effort past Areola for his 10th goal of the season. Marshall Munetsi should have made it two six minutes later, but his shot came crashing back off the crossbar.
Graham Potter, the West Ham manager, sent on striker Niclas Füllkrug after the break, and though he gave a much-needed focal point to the visitors’ attack, the game descended into a bad-tempered affair punctuated by pushing, shoving and arguing for much of the second half.
The away side went on to dominate, but they failed to create any clear chances. The closest they came to an equaliser was a header off the crossbar by Füllkrug and a late shot that Tomas Soucek fired just wide.
Strand Larsen, who had another good effort fly just wide in the second half, said he was delighted to reach double figures for the season, despite needing the help of a deflection to get on the scoresheet.
“I don’t care, the ball went in. It doesn’t matter how. I’m happy anyway,” he told Sky Sports.
“Ten is always the goal for a striker, and we have eight games to go. People have been doubting me a bit so I think it’s nice to show them. Today I was a bit lucky, but that’s how it is.”
