Graham Potter at a loss as Carabao Cup exit heaps pressure on West Ham boss | OneFootball

Hammers have now suffered three defeats in a row across all competitions

Graham Potter's future looks increasingly fragile as West Ham crashed out of the Carabao Cup after a late brace from substitute Jorgen Strand Larsen helped Wolves to a 3-2 win at Molineux.

This was a night that had threatened to turn the tide on West Ham's fortunes when Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta headed home in the space of 13 second-half minutes to cancel out Rodrigo Gomes' goal on the stroke of half-time.

Ultimately, though, old habits die hard, and the Hammers collapsed in dramatic fashion for the third game running to leave Potter still searching for his first win of the season.

There was an all too familiar sinking feeling as Strand Larsen struck twice in two minutes to restore Wolves' lead with six minutes left, and tensions threatened to boil over at full-time when Jarrod Bowen got involved in a heated exchange with a West Ham fan.

These sorts of incidents feel terminal for a manager's future, and Potter, who stood with his hands on his head as Paqueta's last gasp effort was headed to safety, looked on helplessly from the touchline as the game edged towards full-time.

A spirited display had been in vain, and West Ham's season looks capable of spiralling with a trip to Nottingham Forest to come this weekend. It's now three games played, 11 goals conceded, and 0 wins to start the new season.

Pressure is part and parcel of the industry, according to Potter, but few are wearing it with such fervour as the 50-year-old.

He was snappy in response to relegation talk after his side's dismal defeat to Chelsea last Friday but cut a more forlorn figure in his post-match press conference at Molineux, talking about how much he and the players were hurting.

Potter looks to be at a loss in his attempts to react to what's unravelling around him, and for a man who prides himself on his emotional intelligence, his side are frightfully unsure of themselves.

Heated exchange: Jarrod Bowen

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Potter hasn't been helped; a lot of this squad isn't his, and of the five new signings through the doors this summer, it's a point of contention as to how many of them were signed by him.

This, though, is not just a bad start to the season; it's the continuation of a general malaise that hung over the club all of last season.

West Ham didn't lack fight against Wolves, and it looked for a while like they might come away with a much-needed victory, but they are a team on the slide and seemingly out of answers to a mounting list of issues on and off the pitch.