West Ham leapfrogged Wolves out of the drop zone after their first Premier League victory on the green, green grass of home this season.

Gianluca Scamacca netted his fourth goal since a £30million-plus move from Sassuolo with an expertly executed 18-yarder on the half-hour mark, before Jarrod Bowen sealed three precious points with his third strike of the campaign just after the break.

With his squad returning from the last international break before next month’s 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar, David Moyes had made a trio of changes from the side that had lost at Everton, last time out.

Releasing the handbrake on two more of his summer signings, in came Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet for Michail Antonio and Pablo Fornals, while Craig Dawson was called up in place of the benched Vladimír Coufal as Thilo Kehrer shuffled across to right-back.

Certainly, the German defender found himself in a Hammers rearguard under early pressure during the opening exchanges as Daniel Podence and Jonny each forced Łukasz Fabiański into full-length saves, while Pedro Neto sliced an angled shot across the face of goal.

But that was about as good as it would get for the visitors, while in reply, the breaking Scamacca whipped wide only to be pulled up by an offside flag before the escaping Bowen was halted by Rùben Neves, who was booked.

It had certainly been a lively start considering that teams had mustered just three goals each from their opening seven Premier League fixtures.

Indeed, with just a solitary win apiece to date, too, West Ham had kicked-off in 18th spot only one place and two points below Wolves, who made just one enforced switch following their three-goal defeat against Manchester City a fortnight ago with Nélson Semedo replacing the suspended Nathan Collins.

On the quarter-hour mark, Bowen let fly with a 15-yarder that José Sá failed to hold as it flashed through the pack and, although Scamacca was first to the loose ball, under pressure from the sliding Jonny, the Italian could only scoop wide from a couple of yards.

Perhaps that miss was not so surprising given the Hammers had failed to score during the opening period of any of their first seven matches – Wolves, conversely, still have not netted after the interval so far this campaign – but on the half-hour mark, West Ham did finally break their first-half hoodoo.

After João Moutinho had also been booked for battering Bowen, Scamacca’s precise crossfield pass found the England international and, although Maximilian Kilman blocked the way to goal with a well-timed tackle, he only succeeded in sliding the ball back into the path of the now supporting Italian striker.

Scamacca may already have netted a trio of goals in the UEFA Conference League, but he now got off the mark in the Premier League, strolling onto the low clearance and curling an unstoppable 18-yarder across the left glove of the sprawling Sá , who could only watch the ball spectacularly fly inside his left-hand upright before ripping into the net.

That opener merely rubbed more salt into the wounds of Wolves who had needed to replace the injured Neto with Adama Traoré but shortly afterwards the Hammers also had to make an enforced change, when Fornals came on for the crocked Cornet.

And, although Podence had a late, low shot saved, West Ham went in at the break cherishing that rare, first-half goal.

Just after the interval, Kehrer’s ill-advised clearance across goal fell to Traoré, who sent the resultant 18-yarder just inches wide before skipper Declan Rice was booked for his lunge on Moutinho.

But on 53 minutes, those two Hammers were involved in the goal that put more daylight between the two teams as Rice worked the ball infield from the left touchline and, although Kehrer’s 25-yarder was blocked, it looped into the path of Bowen, who patiently controlled with a combination of chest and head before drilling a low eight-yarder inside the base of the right-hand upright.

Wanderers head coach Bruno Lage responded by handing a debut to much travelled veteran striker Diego Costa as Gonçalo Guedes stood down and the 33-year-old, former Chelsea forward should have quickly marked his return to the Premier League with a goal but he carelessly nodded Traoré’s right-wing cross wide.

Moyes also tweaked his striking options, replacing the industrious Scamacca with Antonio, while Emerson came on for record signing Lucas Paquetá, who is clearly still trying to find his Premier League feet following his £50million-plus move from Olympique Lyonnais.

But by now the job was done and with that first home win of the season safely in the can, the Hammers climbed upwards to the relative safety of 15th spot while wobbling Wolves dropped into the bottom three.

West Ham: Fabiański, Kehrer, Cresswell, Zouma, Dawson, Rice, Souček, Paquetá (Emerson 73), Bowen, Cornet (Fornals 33), Scamacca (Antonio 63). Unused subs: Areola, Coufal, Lanzini, Downes, Ogbonna, Benrahma.

Wolves: Sá, Jonny, Alt-Nouri, Semedo (Traoré B. 72), Kilman, Neves, Nunes (Campbell 72), Moutinho, Neto (Traoré A. 24), Guedes, Podence. Unused subs: Sarkic, Mosquera, Toti, Ronan, Costa, Bueno.

Booked: Neves (14), Moutinho (22), Rice (51), Cresswell (82).