Wolves beat Palace to ease relegation fears

Wolves took a significant step towards securing their Premier League safety with a vital 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Molineux.

Wolves took the lead within two minutes of the game when Joao Moutinho's corner was met by a deflection off Palace's Joachim Andersen that saw the ball land in his own net.

After this, the hosts continued to press forward with a low cross from Nelson Semedo almost being converted by Matheus Cunha.

As the first half progressed, Palace enjoyed more possession, but struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities. They came close when Craig Dawson made a strong block to deny Jordan Ayew.

With Wolves leading 1-0 at half-time, the visitors began the second half brightly, but struggled to find a way past Julen Lopetegui's defence. Wolves had a half chance when Diego Costa teed up Hee-Chan Hwang, but his shot was blocked.

As the game wore on, Wolverhampton managed to slow down the pace and frustrate the Eagles, although they were still dangerous on the break. However, they failed to capitalise on counter-attacks through Adama Traore and Costa.

In added time, Wolves were awarded a penalty after Sam Johnstone fouled Pedro Neto in the box. Ruben Neves converted the penalty to seal the 2-0 victory.

With this result, Julen Lopetegui's side climbed up to 13th in the Premier League table, level on points with 12th-placed Palace and crucially nine points clear of the relegation zone.