'West Ham were pathetic' - Alan Shearer tears into 'shocking' Hammers after 3-0 defeat to Wolves leaves Nuno Espirito Santo on the brink

West Ham went into Saturday's game against Wolves well aware that it was a massive six-pointer, given they were playing the team rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, and without a win throughout the start of the campaign. The Hammers, by comparison, were 18th at the start of the day and remain firmly in the relegation zone, after Jhon Arias, Hwang Hee-chan, and Mateus Mane all found the back of the net in the first half. 

Shearer was scathing in his assessment of the performance, telling the BBC: "Matheus Mane, he was absolutely outstanding. Wolves dominated West Ham, that's as bad as I've seen from any team this season, they were shocking.

"Wolves didn't allow them to play, and certainly deserved the three points. West Ham never had one effort on target, they were awful.

"I don't like using the word, but West Ham were pathetic. They offered nothing. Players pulling out of challenges, not throwing themselves at the ball, it was as bad as I've seen from any team."

West Ham's Konstantinos Mavropanos struck an apologetic note in his post-match interview.

He said: "We understand the fans frustrations as well, when we concede two goals like this, it's normal they react like this.

"The first half was not on the level we want. In the second half we tried to show some character but we didn't really create anything. it is what it is now."

On the pressure surrounding manager Nuno Espirito Santo, he said: "For him so far it's difficult for the fans especially. I don't think this team deserve to be in this situation really, I'll say it again the only people who can change the situation is us. We have to bounce back as quick as possible, the next game is in three days, we're disappointed to come out and lose."

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Nuno admits the performance was "embarrassing" against his former employers, as Rob Edwards finally got three points on the board while Molineux head coach.

He said: "It is embarrassing, we have to apologise to the fans today.

"Today was the worst performance that we had. It is not about my future, it is about how can we get out of this situation and improve and get the results that make us climb the table.

"Now is the moment to reflect, speak amongst ourselves and see if we are strong enough to solve it. We needed more, we needed much more from our players.

"I'm sad to say this but what I saw from our players today was not good enough. Wolves has a squad of talented players who on their day can play a good game."

While Nuno says Wolves can play a "good game", they had not won before their clash with the Irons, and had conceded 40 goals in 19 games. 

West Ham have no time to waste when it comes to turning their form around, as they face Nottingham Forest in midweek. Sean Dyche's side are 17th in the Premier League table, four points clear of the Hammers. A defeat for the Irons there could be disastrous, and may well leave Nuno's employment hanging by a thread.