Fer Lopez fired Wolves to a 1-0 win over arch-rivals West Brom in a bruising Black Country derby on Sunday.
Lopez punished a blunder by Albion defender Nat Phillips to score his fifth goal of the season in the second half of the Championship clash at Molineux.
It was no more than Wolves deserved after Albion keeper Max O'Leary had kept West Brom in the game during the first half with three outstanding saves.
Albion rarely threatened to snatch an equaliser in the first Molineux meeting between the West Midlands rivals in five years.
After fears of a repeat of the serious crowd trouble that marred their previous showdown at West Brom two years ago, the derby passed off peacefully inside the stadium.
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Wolves boss Cesar Peixoto, in his first season at the club, led the celebrations with Wolves fans at the final whistle.
O'Leary made a spectacular 11th-minute stop to keep out a header from Wolves defender Nasser Djiga.
Kieran Trippier, returning at right back for Wolves after recovering from a knee injury, delivered a cross for Marshall Munetsi, whose header was blocked.
The ball fell to Djiga, but O'Leary tipped it onto the underside of the crossbar.
Matheus Mane tested O'Leary with an angled drive that the Albion keeper blocked at his near post.
Munetsi's close-range header from Mane's cross was goal-bound until O'Leary showed excellent reflexes to keep it out.
Wolves, bidding for an immediate return to the Premier League after last season's relegation, finally broke the deadlock in the 50th minute.
O'Leary rolled the ball out and his defence looked in control until Phillips played a careless pass straight into Lopez's path.
The Spanish forward made the most of the opportunity and clipped his shot over O'Leary to spark wild celebrations across Molineux.
Wolves climb above their neighbours into fourth place, while West Brom drop to fifth.