Nuno Espirito Santo has finally been drawn on something he clearly didn’t want to discuss — West Ham’s defeat to Wolves earlier this season.
The 3-0 loss at Molineux still lingers. It was Wolves’ first game under Rob Edwards, and they had yet to register a win before West Ham rocked up.
A result that still sticks
For those not permanently scarred by it, the performance was as bad as the scoreline suggested.
As a foreword to my player ratings at the time, I wrote:
“Ordinarily, I wouldn’t bother with an introduction to the player ratings. However, this has to be one of the most humbling reality checks I can remember as a West Ham fan.
Tactically and physically, we simply were not at the races, and in all honesty, it is difficult to rank any of the players with any real conviction and Nuno looked like he’d given up.”
West Ham had a ‘mare. against Wolves
Nuno reluctant to revisit Molineux defeat
“Humbling” was the right word, and it’s clearly something that still irks Nuno, who repeatedly avoided questions about that game ahead of the return fixture.
Eventually, the West Ham boss did relent, saying:
“It’s going to be tough. The first time we faced them, it was probably one of the hardest moments for us as a group. We’re at home, which is a big advantage. You can see they’re improving, but we’ll be ready.”
Focus shifts to response at London Stadium
Nuno’s comments probably told their own story, and he was visibly angry after that 3-0 loss against his former employers — something he now has the chance to put right.