LONDON: Wolves took a huge step towards securing their Premier League status with a 3-1 win away to fellow strugglers West Ham at Upton Park here on Tuesday.

Victory left Mick McCarthy’s men seven points clear of the bottom three with seven games left but this defeat left the Hammers just three points above the relegation zone. Kevin Doyle sent Wolves on their way before two goals in three second-half minutes from Ronald Zubar and Matthew Jarvis sealed victory. Guillermo Franco came off the bench to score for West Ham in injury time.

“We played well,” Wolves manager McCarthy said. “I think the pressure was on them at home. It’s a game they expected to win. We’ve not let them play, we’ve kept the ball and we managed to score three goals in what I thought was a terrific performance.”

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola reflected on a “very, very painful” defeat which saw some Hammers fans chant “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” during the course of the match. “I think that chant is a little unfair because the players they tried everything,” said Zola. “The players did their best but in a disjointed way and it made it very difficult for us. They played as individuals. That is very, very painful for me because it is my duty to correct it. The team is not playing very well and I take responsibility for that. If (the fans) want to pick up on somebody they must pick up on me because I am responsible,” the former Italy striker added.

“If they want to chant something they must

chant about me. They have to leave the players because they belong to West Ham, they are working for

West Ham and they are committed to West Ham.

If they want to pick up

on somebody they must pick up on me.”