This was a game that spiralled into a spicy contest between rivals separated by a dozen miles, but by then Wolves had already wounded Aston Villa and they eked out a warranted victory to climb to seventh and maintain their hopes of securing a European berth.
Ollie Watkins scored a penalty with four minutes to play to give Villa a whiff of an unlikely point but a seething Steven Gerrard warned his players that more sub-par showings will result in harsh consequences, after Wolves’ first-half evisceration paved the way for Villa to succumb to a third successive defeat.
