Wolves 2 Manchester City 5 - in photos

Photos from Manchester City's Carling Cup away win over Wolves at Molineux.

A stunning triple blitz from Manchester City sunk battling Wolves in a Carling Cup goal-fest at Molineux.

A devastating spell of three first-half strikes in just three minutes and 42 seconds from Adam Johnson, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko powered the Premier League leaders into the quarter final.

Nenad Milijas fired Wolves ahead but they had no answer to City's big guns, despite barely deserving to be 3-1 behind at the break.

Dorus De Vries' unlucky own goal made it 4-1 and Dzeko added a fifth, before Jamie O'Hara pulled a goal back on 65 minutes to make it 5-2.

Wolves now go to the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday after seven winless games in the top flight.

Manager Mick McCarthy made nine changes from Saturday's 2-2 draw with Swansea with captain-for-the-night Stephen Ward and Kevin Doyle the only survivors.

The visitors, fresh from their historic 6-1 rout of Manchester United on Sunday, recalled two-goal hero Dzeko, Kolo Toure and Nasri, while Mario Balotelli was on the bench.

The changes seemed to unsettled City as Wolves started brightly and Milijas' free kick deflected behind, after Stefan Savic fouled the lively Stephen Hunt.

It was a positive opening by the hosts and Doyle nodded over on 12 minutes following another left-sided raid by Hunt.

The hosts pressed and should have been awarded a penalty when Milijas' free-kick struck Aleksandar Kolarov's arm on 15 minutes.

But, three minutes later, Wolves got their reward for an industrious opening.

Sam Vokes outfoxed Toure on the left and, when his cross found Milijas via Adlene Guedioura's leg, the midfielder smashed into the roof of the net from 10 yards.

The hosts' high tempo game rattled City but only George Elokobi's last ditch tackle on Abdul Razak denied the visitors a sight on goal soon after.

The tireless running of Doyle and Vokes was causing the slack City defence problems with Savic, cautioned earlier for a foul on Hunt, struggling.

But the Premier League leaders moved through the gears and threatened when Luca Scapuzzi fired just wide on the half hour.

It was just a warning as City then tore Wolves apart with a devastating spell of three goals in less than four minutes.

First Johnson levelled when he swept in from 19 yards on 36 minutes, before turning provider for Nasri to outpace Matt Doherty and drill in just two minutes later.

Johnson then produced a cross which saw De Vries save from Scapuzzi but Dzeko tap in the rebound on 40 minutes.

It rocked Wolves, who had more than matched their billionaire visitors, and Guedioura fired over as they tried to respond.

But any hopes of a revival were ended five minutes after the re-start when the luckless De Vries saved from Nasri but, when David Edwards blocked Scapuzzi's follow up, it hit the goalkeeper and squirmed in.

De Vries then saved well from the impressive Dzeko but could do nothing to stop the striker adding a fifth on 64 minutes, ending a stunning flowing City move.

O'Hara and Adam Hammill replaced Doyle and Milijas and O'Hara pulled a goal back with his first touch on 65 minutes, sweeping in Ward's cross to make it 5-2.

It stemmed the City tide and O'Hara and Ward both went close, but the valiant hosts couldn't find a way back.