West Ham finally got their Championship campaign up and running with a thrilling 4-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the London Stadium, with Divine Mukasa's brace doing the damage and Jarrod Bowen putting in what might be his best individual performance of the season so far.
The 20-year-old on-loan Manchester City midfielder opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with a genuine screamer. It was a rising, dipping strike from well outside the box that flew in off the underside of the crossbar, with Pablo the provider. He wasn't done. Three minutes into the second half, he struck again, this time finishing off a slick move started by Bowen with a composed left-footed effort into the top corner. Two goals from midfield, both genuinely excellent finishes.
“It was a good night,” said Mukasa, the West Ham academy product. “This was a great feeling. I did have my family here too. I feel like I’ve been here longer than ten days with all the people that I’ve known from growing up here.”
Bowen's fingerprints were all over this one. He converted a 42nd-minute penalty, won after Piroe was fouled in the box, sending José Sá the wrong way. He then turned provider for Mukasa's second, and was a constant menace down the right all evening, which included corners, key balls, and direct running. Given the wider context of a stuttering start to the Championship season, this looked like the version of Bowen West Ham need to see far more often.
Nuno rested Taty Castellanos and instead paired Joël Piroe with Pablo up front. Pablo still hasn't scored for the club, but there's a growing statistical case that his presence changes how this West Ham side functions. Going back to the turn of the year, the Hammers have picked up a healthy majority of their wins in matches he's started, well out of proportion to how often he's actually been selected. It's not proof of causation on its own, but it lines up with what was visible on the pitch: he pulled defenders out of position for both Mukasa goals, held the ball up under pressure, and generally made himself a nuisance all night, even without end product to show for it.
One notable omission from the matchday squad entirely was Lewis Orford, who didn't even make the bench despite starting West Ham's last two matches and being talked up by supporters and reporters alike as one of the standout performers of the season's opening weeks. It's a genuine surprise given the run of form he'd been on, and worth watching for team-news updates over the next few days as to why Nuno left him out. He did not comment on the absence in post-match comments.
With the game seemingly won at 4-1, Wolves pulled one back through a Mavropanos own goal in the 69th minute to add some late nerves, but by then Nuno had already made his changes. Keiber Lamadrid replaced the goalscoring hero Mukasa, and new £12 million signing Edvin Austbø came on for Manor Solomon to make his first senior involvement for the club. It was a low-key introduction in a game that was already effectively decided, but a marker for what's to come.
Player Ratings
- Mads Hermansen - 6: He’s had a rough start to the season. He seemed powerless on both goals conceded; He stopped the remaining 4 shots he faced. West Ham need more from him.
- Kyle Walker-Peters - 6.5: Solid on the right before making way just after the hour.
- Konstantinos Mavropanos - 7: Scored West Ham's fourth with a close-range finish, then turned the own goal that made things briefly nervy. A night of extremes, but a net positive.
- Max Kilman - 7: Composed and combative at the back, a threat at set-pieces too. Looked more composed than Mavropanos the entire match.
- Ollie Scarles - 7: Steady in a defense that mostly did its job. Possibly his best performance of the season.
- Jarrod Bowen - 8.5: Penalty, assist, relentless threat all evening, arguably his best display of the campaign.
- Arne Engels - 7: Tidy and disciplined in a deeper midfield role. He’s getting stronger with each match.
- Divine Mukasa - 9.5: Man of the match by a distance. Two exceptional finishes and a real statement of his quality.
- Manor Solomon - 6: Industrious without a major moment of his own before being withdrawn.
- Joël Piroe - 7: Won the penalty and caused problems in the pocket with Pablo all match.
- Pablo Felipe - 8: No goal, but two assists and a constant physical presence that unlocked both of Mukasa's strikes.
Off the Bench
- Joël Veltman - 6: Saw out the closing stages without incident.
- Mohamadou Kanté - 6: Added some late defensive solidity in midfield.
- Keiber Lamadrid - 6: Limited time to make a mark after replacing Mukasa.
- Edvin Austbø - 6: A composed first involvement in a game already put to bed.
- Taty Castellanos - 6: Subbed in to keep the intensity in the final third, and it worked.
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