Fulham 1 Wolves 3 - Report and pictures

Ivan Cavaleiro, on his first start since January, opened the scoring when he tapped home Helder Costa's pass just after the half hour mark.

Andreas Weimann doubled the lead shortly after half time and, although Fulham soon pulled one back through Denis Odoi, David Edwards secured the points after more superb work from Costa on the break.

Analysis

No offence to the magnificent, historic, beautiful stadium that is Molineux, but can Wolves play the rest of the season away from home?

For the second time in five days they took on an attractive, attacking London team on their own turf - and deservedly beat them, writes Tim Spiers at Craven Cottage.

This time the margin of victory was greater, even if their dominance of the match wasn't, but Paul Lambert's fiercely committed team were good value for this most vital of three points.

Who saw this past week coming? Wolves were booed off last Saturday but three wins from three matches have pulled them up to an unlikely 16th position - five points ahead of the drop zone.

Last week it was clear that if they reproduced their Rotherham performance every week Wolves would be relegated.

Well, if Wolves are away from home they're a completely different animal.

For four successive away matches they've been the better team, unluckily losing to Reading, drawing when they should have won at Ipswich and now beating Brentford and Fulham.

Cavaleiro in a free role was inspired, but the performance of Costa topped that. His two magnificent assists were the difference here. Lambert suggested he'd take the shackles off and the boss, who came under severe criticism during his team's dire losing run, deserves credit for the game plan he implemented here, restricting space for Fulham and playing them like a fiddle on the counter.

The worry, though, is that six of Wolves' last night are at home. Should they transfer their away form to Molineux then survival won't be an issue.

Lambert went with the team that powered Wolves to victory in the second half at Brentford (bar Morgan Gibbs-White who came on for the final seconds) with Cavaleiro and Ben Marshall replacing Nouha Dicko and George Saville, who dropped to the bench.

The Wolves boss had called Fulham the best footballing side in the Championship. Well, in the first 45 minutes Wolves took them on - and were deservedly ahead at the break.

An open and attractive half of football saw the action flow from end to end, with both sides creating a number of chances.

Wolves attacked - and defended - in big numbers, expending plenty of energy but not letting play-off-chasing Fulham have a moment's peace.

That even included the home goalkeeper, with Wolves surrounding the Fulham box for goal kicks and forcing a number of errors from their defence.

Cavaleiro, playing in a free role, caused trouble from the off and excelled with the freedom that Lambert had on Friday suggested the Portguese man needed to get the best from him.

He almost slipped Costa - who picked up where he left off at Brentford - with an early through ball, before whistling a shot across goal and wide from a brisk counter involving Marshall and Weimann.

Marshall, who covered so much ground in protecting Doherty but also breaking forward, forced keeper David Button into a sprawling save from 18 yards, while Costa also fired a long-range effort down the keeper's throat.

Everyone in a lime green shirt was working hard, even flair player Costa - and his determination created the opening goal.

Costa harried Fredericks out of possession near the corner flag, shrugged off the full back and ambled into the box before playing to Cavaleiro who couldn't miss from six yards.

It was the least Wolves deserved. Yes Fulham created opportunities of their own - Kebano shooting just wide, Aluko firing at Ikeme from a dangerous position and Kevin McDonald almost doing the inevitable when he sent a free header wide - but Wolves had earned their lead.

They had also protected their goal well, with Evans and Edwards sitting deep to deny Fulham's marauding midfielders space, while Hause made a couple of vital blocks and interceptions.

Far from sitting back on their lead Wolves came racing out of the traps in the second half. Costa almost teed up Cavaleiro up for number two but his pass was intercepted in the nick of time.

However just a minute later Wolves doubled their advantage. Coady's ball reached Weimann and he emphatically beat the keeper to score his second goal in three games.

Fulham have been one of the form sides in the league of late and their response was a positive one. They pressed Wolves deeper back and, just seven minutes after Weimann's strike, they pulled one back when Odoi boomed one in from range.

With the hosts seeing so much of the ball Lambert took off a tiring Cavaleiro - his work done - for Dicko, to defend from the front and try and get a third.

And then, with the midfield battle being lost, on came Romain Saiss to do some smothering and shore things up with 23 minutes to go, Marshall the man to depart.

It was now one-way traffic, albeit with Wolves adequately protecting Carl Ikeme with a wall of green shirts as the hosts sprayed it around looking for an opening.

But they didn't account for the magic of Costa. The wing wizard raced down the right, got to the byline and crossed for Edwards who tapped home in front of goal.

It sparked wild scenes in front of Wolves' 2,300 travelling fans.

The remaining 18 minutes were a breeze, with Ikeme barely tested. What a week it's been.

Key moments

35 - GOAL - Costa wins the ball back and plays across goal for Cavaleiro who taps in from six yards

48 - GOAL - Coady crosses low from the right, Weimann picks it up and sends a great finish into the corner from the edge of the box.

55 - GOAL - Batth scuffs a clearance and the ball is eventually picked up by Odoi who sends a bouncing 25-yarder into the corner.

72 - GOAL - Wolves hit Fulham on the break and it's 3-1. Wonderful work from Costa who makes it to the byline and plays to Edwards who finishes from two yards.

Teams

Fulham (4-3-3): Button; Fredericks (Odoi, 52), Kalas, Ream, Sessegnon (Malone, 80); Cairney, McDonald (Cyriac, 45), Johansen; Kebano, Aluko, Ayite.

Goals: Odoi (55)

Wolves (4-2-3-1): Ikeme; Coady, Batth (c), Hause, Doherty; Evans, Edwards; Costa (Saville, 79), Cavaleiro (Dicko, 61), Marshall (Saiss, 67); Weimann. Subs: Lonergan, Williamson, Gibbs-White, Bodvarsson.

Goals: Cavaleiro (35), Weimann (48), Edwards (72)

Attendance: 20,668

Referee: Chris Kavanagh

Position in the table

16th (45 points from 37 matches)