Lopetegui and O’Neil’s job security was one of the two dominant storylines before kickoff of a game dubbed “El Sackico” on social media.

The other was the health of Michail Antonio, who is currently recovering from a serious car accident.

In a tense first half, the Hammers could have used the finishing touches of their all-time leading Premier League goalscorer, who received the support of the club’s players and fans before and during the game.

Bowen, Carlos Soler and Mavropanos all had opportunities to open the scoring for the hosts but failed to break the stalemate against a determined Wolves, who had conceded more goals than any other top flight team at the start of the competition.

However, Wolves’ resistance was broken for eight minutes as their Achilles heel – defending from corners – once again proved costly as they scored their eighth goal of the season from a goal down.

Even under these circumstances there was a great misfortune. Wolves captain Mario Lemina was convinced Aaron Wan-Bissaka had thrown the ball out before the corner and later replays showed this was the case.

Lemina’s frustration visibly boiled over during game time when he became involved in a heated confrontation with Bowen, which resulted in a yellow card and other players pulling him away from the England striker.

Visitors will rightly be annoyed by further decisions that are to their disadvantage.

West Ham, whose last home win against Manchester United also came after they were awarded a penalty that shouldn’t have been given, will be delighted to have enjoyed the green again in what could be a crucial game.