Wolves jumped three spots to 16th on 17 points after 19 games, while West Ham slipped one place to 18th on 15 points, one point adrift of the safety zone.

“We’ve put our head down and worked really hard in training. It’s paid off today,” Wolves defender Max Kilman told the BBC.

“We’re defending better we’re more solid, this is the real Wolves. We’re just delighted to get the win and go from there.”

After a nervy encounter in the first half where both teams had attempts at goal, Wolves finally found the breakthrough in the 48th minute.

The hosts launched a counter-attack from a West Ham corner as Ruben Neves’ ball deflected off defender Aaron Creswell and fell to Podence, who fired a first-time effort low into the bottom corner for his fifth goal of the season.

Wolves could have gone 2-0 up in the 75th when, after a counter-attack, Neves received the ball on the left and struck from distance but the shot hammered against the bar and on the follow-up Rayan Ait-Nouri smashed his effort against the post.

West Ham tried to pile pressure on the hosts as they strived hard for an equaliser, but substitute Gianluca Scamacca’s header went wide as did Declan Rice’s long-range effort.

Late into stoppage time, Raul Jimenez thought he had finally doubled Wolves’ lead when he ran through on goal and found the net but his strike was disallowed because he was offside.

West Ham’s best chance had come in the first half when Lucas Paqueta’s sublime cross from the left was flicked on by Tomas Soucek and an unmarked Vladimir Coufal at the back post struck it towards goal but Hugo Bueno blocked it.

The defeat piled further pressure on West Ham manager David Moyes, whose side have lost six of their last seven league games, last winning in the league in October.