Cardiff City 1 (McCormack 19)
Wolves 2 (Iwelumo 4, Ebanks-Blake 8)
Wolves ground out yet another away victory, this time against Cardiff at Ninian Park, to inflict only the second League defeat of the season on the Welsh team.
Two goals in the opening minutes saw the Molineux men get off to a cracking start and although City soon pulled a goal back, a magnificent rearguard action meant that Wanderers held on for three precious points.
Mick McCarthy gave a full debut to Michael Mancienne, and Richard Stearman and Michael Gray returned to the starting line-up with Neill Collins and Carlos Edwards dropping down to the bench and Jason Shackell out through injury.
The Wolves boss couldn't have wished for a better opening with two goals inside the first eight minutes. Chris Iwelumo notched his tenth of the season when he chased down Karl Henry's through pass and stroked the ball past Tom Heaton in the home goal.
Then Sylvan Ebanks-Blake beat the offside trap as he took a pass from Michael Kightly and advanced into the area before finding the net with a low angled drive.
Former Wolves striker Jay Bothroyd hobbled off to be replaced by Migual Comminges shortly before City's first real attempt at goal with Joe Ledley's overhead kick clearing the bar after Peter Whittingham had supplied the cross.
But Cardiff were back in the game in the 19th minute when Ross McCormack met Paul Parry's centre and lashed a half-volley beyond the reach of Carl Ikeme.
Stearman did well to cut out McCormack's low cross into the box as The Bluebirds went in search of an equaliser and Darren Purse just managed to get the ball back to his keeper with Michael Kightly and Ebanks-Blake breathing down his neck in a chase towards the Cardiff box.
On 37 minutes Dave Jones released Kightly on the right. He cut into the box but his shot was wide of the far post with Iwelumo's path to the ball blocked by two defenders.
Shortly before the break Roger Johnson cleared from Ebanks-Blake in front of goal with the ball seeming to take an eternity to drop for the Wolves striker who was running onto his own flick.
In stoppage time a Jones corner had the home defence under pressure. The flag-kick looked like it was going to curl under the bar until Whittingham popped up to clear off the line.
Stearman ran in on the loose ball but Heaton dived to save in a crowded six-yard box.
Half-Time: City 1 Wolves 2
McCormack looked on for a second goal after Parry had headed on a long clearance but Ikeme managed to cling on to the striker's attempted chip.
It was McCormack's last piece of the action - he limped off with a hamstring injury to be replaced by Eddie Johnson shortly afterwards.
Iwelumo was high and wide when he met Kevin Foley's cross with a scissors kick before Jones was inches away with a fierce drive that took a deflection off a defender on its way past the post.
Ikeme then made two saves in a two minute spell. First he cut out Whittingham's angled shot at the near post before he dived to save Roger Johnson's low long-range shot.
Mancienne took a knock and had to receive treatment when he collided with Ikeme as he and Parry chased a lofted ball into the box.
Andy Keogh replaced Ebanks-Blake and Collins came on for Gray as the game entered its final stages.
In the 88th minute Kevin McNaughton saw his 20-yard drive take a deflection and, from Whittingham's corner, Roger Johnson's header hit a defender and the ball flew a fraction wide of the far post.
In stoppage time Keogh fired narrowly wide after he had cut in from the right, and Ikeme did well to block from Eddie Johnson who had found space in the right side of the visitors area.
Cardiff: Heaton, McNaughton, Rae, Purse (capt), Whittingham, Bothroyd (Comminges 13), McPhail, Parry, R. Johnson, Ledley, McCormack (E. Johnson 55).
Unused subs: Enckelman, Gyepes, Blake.
Wolves: Ikeme, Foley, Ward, Henry (capt), Mancienne, Stearman, Kightly (D. Edwards 89), Jones, Ebanks-Blake (Keogh 78), Iwelumo, Gray (Collins 85).
Unused subs: Hennessey, C. Edwards.
Referee: S. Tanner.
Attendance: 17,734.
