Carabao Cup thriller: Wolves 3-2 West Ham as Larsen's late double turns the tie

Two goals in two minutes from substitute Jørgen Strand Larsen flipped a tense tie on its head as Wolves beat West Ham 3-2 at Molineux on Tuesday night, claiming their first win of 2025/26 and knocking the Hammers out of the Carabao Cup. The turnaround also raises the heat on Graham Potter, whose side has opened the season with three straight defeats.

Wolves struck first when Rodrigo Gomes reacted quickest to a missed penalty, tucking in the rebound after the initial effort kissed the post. West Ham wrestled control after the break. Tomas Soucek levelled, then Lucas Paqueta swept the visitors into a 2-1 lead by the 63rd minute. Molineux sagged for a spell—until Larsen stepped off the bench and changed everything. The Norwegian scored in the 82nd and again in the 84th, transforming a rugged cup tie into a cathartic home win.

How the game swung

This was an old-fashioned cup night: quick tackles, long sprints, momentum shifts. Wolves started front foot, feeding off the noise and pinning West Ham back. The penalty—earned after a spell of pressure—looked like the perfect launchpad. When the spot-kick crashed off the post, Gomes stayed alert, reading the moment better than anyone and finishing the loose ball.

West Ham answered after the interval with a sharper tempo. Soucek, timing his run through traffic, poked them level. Paqueta followed with the kind of clean, composed finish that briefly made the visitors look settled and in charge. At 2-1, West Ham had the rhythm and the field position. For Potter, it felt like they had finally found a foothold after a rough start to the season.

Then came the late chaos. Wolves injected pace and direct running from the bench. Larsen’s movement unsettled a defence already frayed by recent results. His first goal arrived with classic striker instincts—get across your marker, hit the target early. Two minutes later, he did it again. Suddenly, West Ham’s shape went from sturdy to shaky. Molineux surged, Wolves sprinted, and the visitors couldn’t slow the game down.

Both managers walked a familiar early-season tightrope. Rotate too much, and rhythm suffers; rotate too little, and legs go heavy by the hour mark. Vitor Pereira’s changes paid off, giving Wolves the energy to ask one more question, and then another. West Ham’s bench didn’t offer the same control, and the late-game management slipped at the worst time.

The pattern will worry Potter. West Ham conceded eight in their first two league games—losses to Sunderland and Chelsea—and shipped two more in a cup tie they had in their hands with 30 minutes to go. The issues aren’t just about individuals. It’s organisation when the game flips, protection for the back line when opponents overload the box, and composure after conceding. Those habits decide seasons.

Tension showed at full-time. Jarrod Bowen appeared to move toward the away end, only for teammates to steer him away. It was a brief moment, but it captured the mood: angry, anxious, and desperate for a turn in fortunes. The fans travelled in good numbers; they wanted a response. Instead, they got another hard lesson in game management.

• 9’–15’: Wolves on top; Gomes scores from a penalty rebound to make it 1-0.
• Second half: West Ham raise tempo and press higher.
• 63’: Soucek equalises; Paqueta puts West Ham 2-1 up shortly after.
• 82’ and 84’: Larsen comes off the bench and hits a rapid brace for 3-2.
• Full-time flashpoint: Bowen heads toward the away supporters before being pulled away by teammates.

What it means for both clubs

For Wolves, this was about more than a place in the third round. They came in on the back of two league defeats, low on rhythm and short on goals. They leave with belief. Pereira got impact from his bench and buy-in across the pitch. The home crowd saw a team willing to chase down a lost cause—and getting rewarded. That can carry into the league, where confidence beats almost any tweak on a whiteboard.

The competition matters, too. For clubs outside the handful chasing the title, this cup offers a real path to a big day out and Europe. Knockout football doesn’t care about early wobbles; it rewards sharp spells and brave subs. On nights like this, Wolves showed they can live with pressure and play through it. The third round brings a new opponent and a chance to scale up that ambition.

For West Ham, the exit is a setback and a stress test. Losing early does lighten the schedule, but it also strips away one of the more achievable routes to a trophy—and it lands with a thud when the league form is already poor. Potter arrived with a reputation for structure and clarity. Right now, his team looks jittery when the tempo spikes and vulnerable in late-game phases. That is fixable, but it needs time on the training ground and calm heads in the stands.

There were glimmers. Soucek’s engine remains a weapon. Paqueta’s touch is still a difference-maker in tight games. But without a sturdier base, those bright moments don’t add up to results. The obvious question—especially with the window still open—is whether West Ham add defensive help or ride out the storm with what they have. Either way, they need a clean sheet soon, if only to change the temperature around the club.

Wolves move on, into the third round with momentum at last. West Ham go back to the league looking for a reset and a first win to stop the bleeding. Same evening, same pitch, two very different outcomes.