West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo admitted he was embarrassed after his team crashed to a dismal 3-0 defeat at Premier League bottom side Wolves.
The Hammers’ relegation fears deepened as first-half goals from Jhon Arias, Hwang Hee-chan and Mateus Mane secured a deserved victory for previously winless Wolves at Molineux on Saturday.
Nuno described the result, which left West Ham four points adrift of safety in 18th, as the worst of his career.
The former Wolves boss, already sacked by Nottingham Forest this season, headed down the tunnel immediately after the final whistle and is now under considerable pressure after a run of nine games without a win.
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“I have to apologise to the fans. It was embarrassing,” said the Portuguese manager.
“There’s not much I can say other than we are sorry. We are sorry because what we showed was not good enough.
“We need results, we need points. It is a tough situation and nobody expected this performance. Today was the worst performance that we have had.
“We needed much more from our players. The way we performed was very poor, it was embarrassing. I don’t recall one day that I felt so bad in a football pitch.”
Nuno was appointed in September after the departure of his short-lived predecessor Graham Potter and there is speculation that he too could be facing the sack.
“It’s not about my future, it’s about how can we get out of this situation, how can we improve and get the results that make us climb the table. This is what we are concerned about,” he said.
Nuno added he meant no disrespect to his opposite number, Rob Edwards, by heading quickly for the dressing room.
“I’ve known Robert for many, many years. I have huge respect for him.”
Edwards also downplayed the situation as he celebrated his first win in nine games as Wolves boss, the club’s first in league competition since last April.
“I’ve seen him now,” Edwards said in his post-match press conference. “We shook hands, so that’s all cool.”
Wolves produced a spirited performance to draw at Manchester United on Tuesday and maintained that momentum as Arias struck after just four minutes.
Hwang’s penalty and 18-year-old Mane’s first senior goal, a fine strike from the edge of the box, put the result beyond doubt before the break.
“I feel good – probably a bit of relief and really pleased,” said Edwards.
“It’s been a good day, so I’ll enjoy it, and we should enjoy it, but it’s only one win. That’s all it is.
“We’re building, we’re progressing, we’re getting better but after a game of football, especially when it’s gone quite well, sometimes you can have a little bit of a flat feeling as well.
“There’s a bit of ‘Thank God for that’. I probably feel a little bit like that at the moment.”
Elsewhere, Brighton took a 2-0 win over second-from-the-bottom Burnley, Georginio Rutter and Yasin Ayari providing the goals either side of the break.
And in Saturday’s early kick-off, Aston Villa leapfrogged Manchester City to go second in the league standings with a 3-1 win at home to Nottingham Forest.
Ollie Watkins struck just in time to give Villa the lead at the break, John McGinn adding a brace for Unai Emery’s side in the second half either side of Morgan Gibbs-White’s 61st-minute score for the visitors.
