Wolves 3 Cardiff 1 - Report

Batth headed Wolves into an early lead but they were soon pegged back by a Kenneth Zohore equaliser.

Batth netted again just before half time with Ben Marshall the architect again, as he had been for the opener, and in the second period Wolves exerted their authority when Helder Costa scored a marvellous third goal to seal the points.

Analysis

A pretty comfortable win - at home - plus two goals from Danny Batth....and it wasn't an April Fool.

Wolves endured a dreadful February, a resurgent March and if April 1 is anything to go by the rest of the month could be pretty fun, writes Tim Spiers at Molineux.

Despite a couple of early scares they saw off Cardiff's considerable threat with relative ease in the second half here as they continued their impressive staving off of a relegation dogfight.

A few weeks ago 'streetwise' was the quality Lambert said his side needed to possess, as they struggled to pull clear of the bottom three. Well in their last three victories they've certainly been that.

There was a time at 1-1 here when Cardiff's aerial bombardment threatened to see them overpower Wolves, as they had in the reverse fixture in December. But Wolves saw in through - and after the break they nullified the opposition and killed them off.

It was a mature performance, full of relentless hard work from the likes of Andreas Weimann and Dave Edwards, but also excellent quality through the whipped crosses of Ben Marshall and the sensational feet of Helder Costa who rounded off this win with a goal to cherish.

Wolves duly made it four wins in a row for the first time since January 2016. But more importantly they extended the margin to the bottom three to eight points.

There are the makings of a very effective Championship team here. If safety can be secured sooner rather than later then the dress rehearsal for next year can begin in earnest.

Lambert was forced into making one change from the team that beat Fulham 3-1 before the international break. Carl Ikeme failed a fitness test on a hamstring injury and Andy Lonergan was drafted in for his first appearance since December 1.

Wolves knew they'd face a tough test from a team who, if the league had started when Neil Warnock took charge in October, would be third in the table.

But the early signs were promising when they took an early lead. Marshall's pinpoint delivery - a theme of the afternoon - was expertly guided back into the six-yard box by Andreas Weimann and Danny Batth did the rest from close range.

Things were potentially set up for a comfortable afternoon...but then this is Wolves, at Molineux, so of course it didn't work like that.

Cardiff's aerial bombardment, which Wolves couldn't cope with in the reverse fixture (a 2-1 win for the Bluebirds in December) made life uncomfortable for a shaky defence.

And that led to a brisk equaliser when a flailing Lonergan was caught off guard and in-form striker Zohore headed past him, with appeals for offside to no avail.

The goal rocked Wolves, who weren't dealing with Aron Gunnarsson's flings from the flanks. Another long throw saw Junior Hoilett shoot just wide, and then a corner was horribly punched by Lonergan who was grateful the ball skimmed off his hand and dropped beneath him to collect.

When Gunnarsson then missed the target with a free 12-yard shot when it was easier to score, it looked like being a torrid afternoon.

But, gradually, Wolves improved. Their number of long balls decreased and Marshall, Cavaleiro and Costa began to stretch the Cardiff defence.

Then, not long before half time, they regained the lead. Again it was a piercing Marshall cross and again it was a Batth header that did for Cardiff.

The second half picked up where the first left off, although Wolves looked far more secure at the back.

Chances were at a premium for both teams, with referee Andy Davies the centre of attention instead when he waved away appeals for a clear foul on Marshall just outside the box, and then booked Joe Ralls for a horror tackle on Lee Evans with the home fans screaming for red.

Then came a chance apiece - Batth headed a Marshall corner just over as he narrowly became the first Wolves centre half to score a hat-trick since John De Wolf in 1995.

Cardiff went even closer - Craig Noone smacked a long-range effort off the upright.

Lambert looked to shore things up, with Marshall and Cavaleiro withdrawn for Saiss and Bodvarsson, and soon after the points should have been wrapped up but Costa, Evans and Edwards somehow contrived to mess it up when Wolves were four on two.

But they didn't have to wait long for that third goal...and what a goal it was. The magic of Costa lit up sun-kissed Molineux with a simply stunning, jinking run and a cool finish when the keeper had already committed himself.

And that was that - a fairly regulation home win and Wolves' fourth victory on the bounce. February seems like a very long time ago.

Key moments

9 - GOAL - Ben Marshall's free kick to the back post drops to Andreas Weimann who heads back across goal and Danny Batth powers a header past Allan McGregor.

13 - GOAL - A long throw is cleared but immediately comes back into the six-yard box where Zohore is unmarked. Lonergan is in no-man's land and can't stop the striker's header.

27 - Gunnarssson should score from 12 yards but puts his free shot past the post.

41 - GOAL - A free kick is worked back to Marshall and his excellent cross is headed past the keeper by Batth.

66 - Substitute Craig Noone's 25-yard shot smacks off Lonergan's left-hand post.

77 - Wolves break four on two but Costa's pass to Evans is poor and then a defender intercepts ahead of Edwards.

82 - GOAL - Sensational goal from Costa who takes Edwards' pass, sends a couple of Cardiff defenders and the keeper the wrong way and stabs into the net.

Teams

Wolves (4-2-3-1): Lonergan; Coady, Batth (c), Hause, Doherty; Evans, Edwards; Costa, Cavaleiro (Bodvarsson, 73), Marshall (Saiss, 73); Weimann (Saville, 87). Subs: Burgoyne, Williamson, Gibbs-White, Dicko.

Goals: (Batth 9, 41), Costa (82)

Cardiff (4-3-3): McGregor; Richards, Morrison (c), Bamba, Bennett; Gunnarsson, Manga, Ralls (Whittingham, 62); Harris (Pilkington, 79), Zohore, Hoilett (Noone, 62). Subs: Murphy, Connolly, Halford, John.

Goal: Zohore (13)

Attendance: 20,519 (1,395 Cardiff fans)

Referee: Andy Davies (Hampshire)

Position in the table

16th (48 points from 38 matches)