Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes scored second-goals and 20th-place Wolves gave their minuscule safety hopes a boost with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in a West Midlands derby on Friday at the Molineux.
Wolves move onto 13 points, still 20th on the table by six points and 14 back of 17th-place Nottingham Forest.
**WATCH** — [Wolves v Aston Villa full match replay](https://www.usanetwork.com/live)
It’s a stunning loss for Villa even given the derby stakes, and Unai Emery’s men remain 10 points back of leaders Arsenal.
The Villans have three more points than fourth-place Manchester United and six more than Chelsea and Liverpool, and they’ve played one more game than all three chasers.
_More to come...._
What’s next?
------------
Wolves host Liverpool on Tuesday in the Premier League and then Friday, March 6, in the FA Cup.
Aston Villa welcome Chelsea to Villa Park on Wednesday and then wait eight days before kicking off at Lille in the first leg of a Europa League last 16 tie.
Wolves vs Aston Villa final score: 2-0
--------------------------------------
Joao Gomes 61', Rodrigo Gomes 90+8'
Full time — Wolves 2-0 Aston Villa
----------------------------------
Rob Edwards’ men earned every bit of this, and the Molineux is having a well-deserved party.
Rodrigo Gomes goal — Wolves 2-0 Aston Villa
-------------------------------------------
Wolves go on a counter led by Mateus Mane and a blocked shot drops outside the 18.
Rodrigo Gomes beats Mane to the ball and fires it into the heart of the goal.
Win-saving intervention!
------------------------
A deflected shot falls to Amadou Onana in the fifth of seven minutes’ stoppage time, and Sa gets a peace of it before Mosquera clears it off the line!
Joao Gomes goal — Wolves 1-0 Aston Villa
----------------------------------------
It could be the moment of the year for the Wolves... unless it spurs the club into the story of the year and a run to safety.
A cross is directed to Joao Gomes by Adam Armstrong, and the midfielder snaps it past Emiliano Martinez.
The Molineux is buzzing!
Halftime — Wolves 0-0 Aston Villa
---------------------------------
In the 15 or so minutes since our last update — the one that called this a decent watch — we’ve seen zero shot attempts.
All to play for, as they say!
Decent watch
------------
The lights and a consistent hard rain have delivered the canvas and some hard tackles and good spirit are adding color.
Villa controlling possession and getting more attempts but Wolves are very much in this through the half-hour mark.
Big tackle
----------
Ollie Watkins gets into the box and he’s got a chance to slot home with his left foot.
He instead opts to chop at it with the outside of his right foot and that gives Yerson Mosquera a chance to step in front and divert the ball for a corner.
Villa turn one corner into another, but Wolves clear the danger.
Wolves lineup
-------------
Sa, Tchatchoua, Mosquera, S. Bueno, T. Gomes, H. Bueno, Andre, J. Gomes, Bellegarde, Mane, Armstrong
Aston Villa lineup
------------------
Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Luiz, Sancho, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins
Wolves vs Aston Villa preview
-----------------------------
Rob Edwards’ men have been playing much better of late but remain 17 points back of safety with only 30 left to claim this season.
Villa are still looking to refind their momentum after a red-hot first 18 weeks of the season, but they’re unbeaten in three Premier League matches and sitting third on the table.
Unai Emery and his Europa League Round of 16 entrants have slipped 10 points back of first-place Arsenal and five behind Man City. With fourth-place Manchester United three points behind and both Chelsea and Liverpool another three back, Champions League qualification is now in sincere jeopardy.
Wolves **team news, focus**
---------------------------
OUT: Hee-chan Hwang (calf)
**Aston Villa team news, focus**
--------------------------------
OUT: Alysson (undisclosed), Youri Tielemans (ankle), John McGinn (knee), Boubacar Kamara (knee), Andres Garcia (hamstring)
Wolves vs Aston Villa **prediction**
------------------------------------
Villa really need to find a strong performance and a convincing win, while Wolves will look to this match as a good chance to give the home stadium some hope ahead of two visits from Liverpool (PL and FA Cup). A win? Like so many Wolves efforts of late, that might be a bridge too far. **_Wolves 1-1 Aston Villa_**_._
**How to watch** Wolves vs Aston Villa **live, stream link and start time**
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Kick off time**: 3pm ET Friday
**Venue**: The Molineux Stadium — Wolverhampton
**TV Channel**: USA
**Streaming**: [Watch on USA Network](https://www.usanetwork.com/live)