Hwang Hee-chan ended his four-month goal drought to help inspire Wolverhampton Wanderers to a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Luton Town at Molineux on Saturday.
Hwang opened the scoring late in the first half at the end of a lightning counter-attack, his strike deflecting off Teden Mengi and nestling in the bottom corner.
A clever set-piece routine allowed Wolves to double their lead after 50 minutes as Toti Gomes nodded in from Mario Lemina's cross, though Luton set up a grandstand finish when Carlton Morris fired home.
However, they failed to find an equaliser in the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time and stay 18th, one point adrift of Nottingham Forest in 17th. Wolves, meanwhile, move into the top half with 46 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
How the match unfolded
Luton started brightly and Ross Barkley called Jose Sa into action just five minutes in, but the Wolves goalkeeper dived to his right to palm his strike away from danger.
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Hwang then made a superb run in behind as Wolves showed their teeth, but he shot down the throat of Thomas Kaminski after latching on to Lemina's through-ball.
Luton should have gone ahead after 39 minutes as Jordan Clark teed up Morris, but he could only power his header into the hands of Sa.
They were made to pay just 18 seconds later as Matheus Cunha picked out Hwang inside the box. The Wolves forward cut back on to his right before shooting low, and his deflected effort found its way into the bottom-right corner.
Five minutes after the break, Lemina was found on the edge of the box from a short corner, and his sensational first-time cross allowed Toti to send a bullet header into the net.
Nelson Semedo should have made it three for Gary O’Neil’s side as he found himself one-on-one with Kaminski, but the Luton goalkeeper rushed off his line to make a strong stop.
Luton pulled one back after 80 minutes as Alfie Doughty’s cross was nodded back into a dangerous area by Reece Burke, and Morris pounced to volley home.
However, Wolves clung on through six added minutes to end their six-match winless run.
Hwang ends long wait
It’s four months to the day since Hwang last found the net in the Premier League, with injuries and international duty frustrating him since he scored twice against Brentford on 27 December.
He looked back to something approaching his best against Luton, working the channels effectively and settling Wolves' nerves with his opener, which came after a strong start from Luton.
The victory takes Wolves into the top half ahead of AFC Bournemouth facing Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, though they remain some seven points adrift of the top seven and a potential European place.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
38 | -14 | 52 |
| 10 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
38 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -13 | 48 |
| 13 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
Luton’s safety hopes dented
Luton could have climbed out of the relegation zone with three points against Wolves, but they remain in 18th place, one point behind Forest and just one clear of Burnley.
Some soft defending cost the Hatters on Saturday, and they have kept just two clean sheets in their 35 Premier League matches this campaign.
With just three fixtures remaining, Rob Edwards will be desperately hoping his side can turn things around after a tricky run, their defeat at Molineux making it three losses in a row.
Club reports
Final Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Wolves are unbeaten in their last nine league meetings with Luton (W5 D4), while they have now won each of their last three home games against the Hatters in the league, having won just one of their previous six such matches at Molineux.
Luton have won just one of their last 14 games in the Premier League (D3 L10). In fact, since the start of this run in February, no side has won fewer games in the top four tiers (Rotherham and Sheffield United also one).
Wolves have scored 48 goals across 35 Premier League matches this season, with the Wanderers last managing more at this stage of a top-flight season in 1972/73 (53 goals after 35 games).
Matheus Cunha has been directly involved in 18 goals across 29 games in the Premier League this season (11 goals, 7 assists) – only Raul Jimenez has managed more involvements in a single campaign for Wolves in the competition (23 in 2019/20 and 20 in 2018/19).