West Ham United produced a dominant display of attacking football to thrash Wrexham 6-0 at the London Stadium, propelling Nuno Espirito Santo's side back to the top of the Sky Bet Championship table. The comprehensive victory marked a fourth consecutive league win for the Hammers and featured six different goalscorers, underlining the growing depth and confidence within the squad.
The result offers further proof that West Ham are settling into life in the second tier, having endured a winless start to the campaign following relegation from the Premier League.
Wrexham were fortunate not to fall behind inside the opening ten minutes. Taty Castellanos headed a free chance over the bar from Manor Solomon's cross from close range, and it looked only a matter of time before the hosts would break the deadlock. Jarrod Bowen then broke clear from a quickly taken throw-in, only to see goalkeeper Anthony Patterson produce a sharp save to tip his effort onto the crossbar. Konstantinos Mavropanos headed narrowly wide from the resulting corner as the pressure mounted.
Joel Piroe squandered a glorious opportunity midway through the half, leaning back and firing well over the crossbar when well placed. Bowen made no such mistake moments later, arriving ahead of Jacques Ekomie to steer home a precisely delivered cross from Morato and give West Ham a deserved 28th-minute lead.
Wrexham's best chance of the match followed soon after, when Mavropanos was forced to clear off the line from George Dobson with goalkeeper Mads Hermansen beaten. It proved to be a rare moment of hope for the visitors. Just before the interval, Castellanos showed composure to hold his run onside before selflessly squaring for Piroe to tap in and double the advantage, sending West Ham in 2-0 up at half-time.
The second half began much as the first ended, with West Ham firmly in control. Patterson denied Solomon early on, racing off his line to block a low effort, but the resistance did not last. Within a minute, Mavropanos rose unmarked from Bowen's corner to head home West Ham's third goal.
Bowen continued to torment the Wrexham defence, cutting inside and forcing another fine save before West Ham struck for a fourth. A poor clearance from a Wrexham corner was seized upon by Kyle Walker-Peters, who launched a swift counterattack, combining with teammates before squaring for Castellanos to slot home his second assist-turned-goal contribution of the afternoon.
Substitute Mohamadou Kante added further gloss to the scoreline with a well-taken finish after being played through by Solomon, before the Israeli international completed the rout himself with a deflected strike that crept in off the post, sealing a comprehensive 6-0 triumph.
The result leaves Wrexham searching for answers after being thoroughly outclassed by a rampant West Ham side that looks increasingly comfortable operating outside the top flight. For Nuno Espirito Santo's men, the emphatic win represents a statement of intent as they aim to build on their return to the summit of the Championship table.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport and The Guardian.