Taty Castellanos struck twice inside two minutes midway through the second half to add to Konstantinos Mavropanos’s first-half header before the defender volleyed in again late on.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s team shrugged off early nervousness to blow away the league’s bottom side and push their rivals from north London closer towards the unthinkable.

The Hammers had looked buried after losing at home to Nottingham Forest in January. Defeat to their relegation rivals left them winless in 10 and seven points adrift of safety, but five victories in the 11 games since, together with Spurs’ apparent free fall, have put a radically different complexion on the picture at the bottom.

Against Wolves, they were wasteful in the first half. Mavropanos’s opener, headed in from Jarrod Bowen’s cross three minutes before the break, lifted the atmosphere at a crucial moment and set the second-half stage for Castellanos to double his tally for the club and inch West Ham towards survival.

It meant Wolves’ brief revival after three games unbeaten was ended. Relegation for them could now be confirmed as early as next week away to Leeds.

Crysencio Summerville had wasted a golden chance to give West Ham the lead after 14 minutes, staying onside to receive Mateus Fernandes’s pass before leaning back and scooping his finish high over the crossbar.

Good work from Pablo to dance his way into the box set up Bowen with a chance he ought to have buried. Instead the shot was tame, bounced into the ground via a mistimed swing of the leg and into the arms of Jose Sa.

N/A

West Ham’s wastefulness in front goal and carelessness on the ball were doing little to calm a restless atmosphere.

El Hadji Malick Diouf drew howls of exasperation from home fans when he needlessly gave the ball away in his own half, letting in Adam Armstrong for a chance that whistled just over.

Armstrong then had Wolves’ best chance of the half with a flicked header that was well-held by Mads Hermansen.

Ladislav Krejci blocked from Bowen following Mavropanos’s knock-down. Wolves had now been warned amply of West Ham’s growing threat but they were breached before the interval.

Their defence failed to clear properly from a corner, the ball was sent back out wide to Bowen who crossed for Mavropanos to rise and plant his header into the corner.

Only a fine low save from Sa kept Pablo from sending a buoyant West Ham in two up at the break.

A wild two-minute spell at the start of the second half saw both sides hit a post, Wolves from Angel Gomes’s free-kick, then Bowen drove inside from the right and smacked the upright.

Castellanos settled home fans’ nerves with a finish into the corner that owed to a wonderfully inventive back-heel by Pablo to set up the chance.

Wolves gave the ball away almost immediately from the kick-off to Bowen, and he fed Castellanos to take a touch and roll in his second and West Ham’s third via a post.

Mavropanos volleyed in a late fourth for West Ham, whose momentum showed no sign of abating.