Gutsy Wolves stunned Manchester City to pull off a shock 2-1 win and end the champions’ winning run.
Hwang Hee-chan’s second-half winner earned the hosts a brilliant battling victory at Molineux.
Julian Alvarez’s free-kick cancelled out Ruben Dias’ early own goal but Pep Guardiola’s side were unable to find a way back from Hwang’s strike.
They were aiming to win their first seven Premier League games for the first time but instead were beaten by a combative and fired-up Wolves.
Defeat puts a fresh spin on next Sunday’s trip to Arsenal, with the Gunners now a point behind the leaders, after Wednesday’s Champions League game at RB Leipzig.
For Wolves boss Gary O’Neil it represents vindication for his methods, with the manager having come under early fire this season.
Few, though, would have expected the result to come against City.
Erling Haaland went close to Matheus Nunes’ cross as, predictably, the visitors dominated early but found Wolves tough to break down.
Nunes was the obvious pantomime villain, having effectively gone on strike to force his eventual £53million deadline-day move to City from Wolves.
So there was even more delight from the home fans when Wolves stunned Guardiola’s men after 13 minutes.
Mateo Kovacic’s loose pass hit Phil Foden which allowed Pedro Neto to seize on the mistake and tear past Nathan Ake.
He powered his way down the right, avoiding Ake’s desperate lunge, to race into the area and Dias deflected his cross past Ederson from close range.
Neto remains Wolves’ man of the moment, their spark, having given Liverpool nightmares two weeks ago and scored in the 1-1 draw at Luton, but Wolves had been in this position before and faltered.
They faded badly after a fine first half against Liverpool to lose and a promising display on O’Neil’s debut at Manchester United yielded nothing.
Wolves needed results to back up their grit and determination but Rayan Ait-Nouri gifted Foden a way through in a sloppy moment to underline the fragile nature of their lead.
City were left frustrated, Jeremy Doku was haphazard and Haaland engaged in a physical battle with Craig Dawson, while Foden and Nunes were ineffective.
As expected, City had plenty of the ball but the Wolves wall stood firm and there was even a degree of control from the hosts when in possession.
Guardiola, in the stands serving a touchline ban, had seen enough and hauled Nunes off for Oscar Bobb at the break.
Opposite number O’Neil continued to conduct his men from the sidelines as Wolves dug in, while weak Haaland and Alvarez efforts did little to trouble Jose Sa.
Yet the hosts’ resistance was broken after 58 minutes. Wolves were still fuming Matheus Cunha’s demands for a free-kick were turned away after a quick break.
City went up the other end and Joao Gomes barged into the back of Bobb 20 yards out for Alvarez to then curl his free-kick into the top corner.
It was the cue for the visitors to ramp up the pressure in a barnstorming half and Dawson cleared off the line before Sa turned Manuel Akanji’s shot wide.
They proved crucial as Hwang turned up the heat on City to grab the winner after 68 minutes.
Nelson Semedo was sent dashing down the right and his cross was cleared as far as Hwang, whose shot was blocked by Dias. It fell for Cunha to keep his cool and lay the ball off to Hwang to sweep in from six yards.
Molineux erupted and then braced for the expected City onslaught. Kalvin Phillips curled wide and Kyle Walker shot at Sa, yet there was no comeback as Wolves deservedly held on.
Frank praises Brentford's pressing, sees no tactical revamp with Toney departure
Thomas Frank heaped praise on Brentford's pressing following their 3-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday.
Bryan Mbeumo scored twice from Brentford's forwards forcing the Southampton backline into errors as the Bees earned their second Premier League win of the season.
This did not go unnoticed by Frank, who believes his side rank as one of the best in the league when it comes to that specific aspect.
He told BBC Sport: "They made errors because we pressed them unbelievably well. I think we are one of the best teams to do the high pressure in the Premier League.
"The players are so committed and that is the reason why we capitalised on errors from Southampton.”
Despite the departure of Ivan Toney to Al-Ahli, Frank does not think their style of play will have to be restructured too much, with both Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa enjoying productive starts to the season in his absence.
Frank said: “Ivan is a fantastic player, I'd love to have him in the team but he has his own journey and is going elsewhere.
"Our style of play hasn't changed. Wissa and Ivan are different players but the style doesn't change.”
Southampton boss Russell Martin was frustrated with his side’s mistakes at crucial moments, believing their performance was far better than the scoreline suggested.
He said to the BBC: “We made two mistakes that we were punished for, which is frustrating and disappointing.
"I saw lots of good things to feel positive about. I feel a lot better this week than I did after the Nottingham Forest game.”
Guardiola has 'no words' for hat-trick hero Haaland
Pep Guardiola was lost for words to describe Erling Haaland after his eighth Premier League hat-trick fired Manchester City to a 3-1 victory over West Ham.
Having scored a treble to help City claim a 4-1 win over Ipswich Town on matchday two, Haaland did likewise on Saturday to keep them perfect as they edged out the Hammers at the London Stadium.
Haaland's seven goals this season are the most any player has ever netted in the first three matches of a Premier League campaign, while only Sergio Aguero (12), Alan Shearer (11) and Robbie Fowler (nine) have ever helped themselves to more match balls in the competition.
Across English football's top four tiers, he is also the first player to score two hat-tricks in a team's first three games of a league season since Bradford City's Paul Jewell in 1994-95.
The Norwegian has now scored more than once in 26% of his Premier League matches (18/69, eight hat-tricks, 10 braces), leaving Guardiola in disbelief.
"There are no words for him," Guardiola told BBC Sport.
"All we can do is make him play better and better and give him as many balls as possible into the box. It's what we have to do. We are there and we added quality.
"This is a team. When you have to run backward, no one asks who has to do it. Everyone has to. When we see Erling doing that, it is fantastic."
Haaland himself, meanwhile, believes having an extended pre-season due to Norway missing out on Euro 2024 has helped him start the season in peak condition.
"I feel good. I feel energised. I had a long vacation and a long pre-season. I'm feeling good," Haaland told City's website.
"The years here have gone quick and it's been going like, 'bam bam bam', now I have a little bit of rest in my body and my feet. I feel really good now and I'm ready for more.
"I feel more refreshed and more energised. So when you do that you can practice on things you want to become better at in training. I feel good. I want to become better. I'm happy."
City sit top of the early-season table with nine points from nine available and saw last season's runners-up Arsenal slip up on Saturday, drawing 1-1 with Brighton and Hove Albion.
Haaland, though, feels it is too early to think about the title race, adding: "They [City's rivals] haven't slipped up yet. Three games, nine points. This is a great start.
"But let's not think too far ahead, because there’s potentially 70 games left this season. Let's breathe a bit and take it game by game."
Lopetegui rues missed opportunity as West Ham lose to Man City
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui was not encouraged by the performance of his team despite losing 3-1 at home to Manchester City in their third league game.
“It is true that City is one of the best teams around the world for sure… but it is also true too that in the second half we have been very close to a draw,” he said speaking to BBC Match of the Day.
“I think we have played one very good second half. The start has been very good for us too.”
West Ham threatened for extended periods of the match and had chances to level the match at 2-1 down, with the best coming from Mohammed Kudus as he smashed a shot against the bar in the second half.
They also started the game brightly before going a goal down inside 10 minutes.
“In my mind we started very well, being aggressive,” said Lopetegui.
“We know in this plan normally they have initiative, it’s very difficult to not concede initiative then. That’s why you have to do a lot of very good things to overcome them.
“In the second half we had chances, I think we kept the ball much more, much more, and didn't concede a lot of chances."
But the hosts were ultimately undone by the brilliant finishing of Erling Haaland, who scored his second hat-trick in as many matches.
“He is one of the best players in the world, that's why he plays for Manchester City,” he said.
“You have to compete with these kind of players. City has the power and the quality to create chances.”
But ultimately, he was left frustrated at the sense of a missed opportunity and that his team were unable to earn themselves a draw that hadn’t seemed implausible during the match.
“Today I think the first goal was a pity for us but I’ve said it. I was happy with the performance think we were able to draw but again they damage us,” he said.
“Against this kind of team, if you make a mistake they don’t forgive. This is the difference they have… A little mistake they punish you, they punish us.
“We have to improve, to know to compete against this kind of team to be close to perfection.
“Don't make mistakes, be calm, defend well… we have quality players too.”
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