There is no getting away from the fact that Declan Rice's knee injury is a huge blow to West Ham's season and potentially England's chances in the European Championships this summer.
Rice has become a key member of Gareth Southgate's team having previously established himself as one of the best central-midfielders in the Premier League with West Ham.
The 22-year-old has been at West Ham since 2014, making his debut in 2017. The following season was Rice's break-out year and on the opening day of that campaign, the young midfielder replaced captain Mark Noble for the final half an hour of a 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
The following week Rice started a Premier League game for the first time, partnering Noble in midfield. By the end of the 2017-18 season, the pair had become almost ever-presents in the Hammers team and would remain so until the start of the current campaign.
Age and the arrival of Tomas Soucek have seen Noble's game time limited this season but after the injury that could see Rice out for between four to six weeks, the captain will have an important role to play over the coming weeks.
Taking over from Rice is no easy task and Noble is not capable of being a like-for-like replacement for the younger, faster, more dynamic player, but with tweaks to the system, the skipper can thrive.
This is exactly what he did against Wolves in front of three central defenders and Soucek playing by his side.
Yes, he got nowhere near Adama Traore as he sprinted down the left wing before crossing for Leander Dendoncker's goal. But Traore left four Hammers players for dead before picking out the Belgian and has the beating of pretty much every Premier League player for pace so there is no shame in that.
Noble had an otherwise excellent game, of course, there were times when faster players got away from him but his stats speak for themselves.
Noble attempted and completed more passes than any other West Ham player on the pitch. He made more tackles and won more interceptions than any of his teammates.
But his influence goes beyond statistics, there are some things that television and stats miss. The organisation of his players around him, his communication with the bench, the way he knows when to encourage a teammate or when, as with Issa Diop, he knows to give out a rollicking.
Diop had made an important and excellent interception, he had played the ball to a teammate and was about to set off on a gallop up-field. Noble, and in fairness the other experienced head in the team Craig Dawson, let him know very loudly, and with some rather industrious language, this was not going to happen.
Diop did something similar in the first half and Noble slotted into his position alongside Dawson as cover. He did the same in injury time of the second half but Diop got the message loud and clear and halted his advance.
This is not rocket science, Rice may well have done the same thing or Dawson's voice might have been enough to stop Diop's charge but it was Noble who was the loudest and calmest voice throughout the game.
Rice is an exceptional player and at 22 is already a leader, but Noble is still the main man in this regard and there could not be a better player for Rice to learn from.
With his knee injury stopping him from traveling, Rice was watching from home and was very active across his social media accounts throughout the game.
Noble might have some detractors amongst the West Ham fanbase but it is safe to say Rice is not one of them. On the final whistle, the England international tweeted: "No criticism please, Unbelievable tonight. My skipper!"
Rice has stepped into his captain's boots this season and taken the mantle of on-pitch leader on.
Now it is time for Noble to return and he has eight games to lead his beloved Hammers to European football in what will be his eighteenth and final season as a player at the club.
Last night's win was West Ham laying down a big statement to their competitors that they are a serious team when it comes to challenging for a Champions League spot, and perhaps even proving to themselves they can manage it.
As Rice said: "Do not underestimate how big a win that is for the boys! Into the top 4, 8 games to go! Special group this! Love it."
