The West Ham United supporters will not need reminding as to what happened the last time they faced a side sitting bottom of the Premier League table; a 3-0 trouncing away to Wolves in early-January.
Friday night’s clash between two of the three sides mired in the relegation zone, at least, offers a shot at redemption.
Joe Cole thinks West Ham can all-but secure survival if they defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers at the London Stadium.
Nuno has a few selection dilemmas before Wolves arrive on Friday
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Not mathematically of course. Cole just feels that, if the Hammers leapfrog Tottenham in the first Premier League match back after the international break, that will give Nuno Espirito Santo’s side a serious psycological advantage over a Spurs side with a mentality as brittle as over-baked tuile.
However, West Ham United’s recent record against teams ranked 20th in the division – as Wolves are – may set the nerves jangling.
West Ham United were battered by Wolves at Molineux
FBL-ENG-FACUP-WEST HAM-LEEDS
Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP via Getty Images
Since the start of the 2023/24 season, the Hammers have won two, lost two and drawn two matches against teams sitting rock bottom.
That Molineux mauling was the low point of Nuno Espirito Santo’s entire reign.
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But West Ham also dropped points against Southampton and Sheffield United in successive seasons; statistically, two of the worst teams ever to ‘grace’ the Premier League.
Everton, meanwhile, bounced back from a disastrous start with a 1-0 win at the London Stadium in November 2023.
In fact, the Hammers have not achieved a clean sweep of 20th-placed opponents since 2021/22, when David Moyes’ side did the double over Norwich and also defeated Watford thanks to a Jarrod Bowen strike.
The Hammers have a score to settle… ⚒️ v 🐺
What do YOU want to see in Friday's six-pointer?
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Jose Sa punches clear under pressure from West Ham United's Max Kilman during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United at Molineux on January 3, 2026 in Wolverhampton, England.
The Hammers can put Tottenham in the relegation zone on Friday
In happier times under Moyes, when the Hammers were often challenging for the top six, they would swat aside such teams with ease. See Huddersfield, Norwich, Sheffield United, Watford, Fulham.
Like a lot of things in East London, West Ham’s record against struggling, often-doomed sides has got a whole lot worse since Moyes rode off into the sunset with a Conference League winners’ medal hanging around his neck.
Wolves’ trip to the capital, though, offers Nuno the chance to exorcise the ghosts of January 3rd.
West Ham are in a much better place since then, too. The Hammers have picked up 12 more points than Tottenham over the last three months, while also reeling in Leeds and Nottingham Forest.
Get revenge on Rob Edwards’ plucky but still-Championship-bound Wolves, and West Ham will not only leapfrog Tottenham, they will draw level on points with Forest and go just one shy of Leeds in 16th before their relegation rivals even kick a ball.
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