Zat Knight's first-ever goal for Bolton earned all three points from a rip-roaring encounter against Wolves.
Defender on target for Trotters
Zat Knight's first-ever goal for Bolton was enough to take all three points from a rip-roaring encounter at the Reebok and move Owen Coyle's side out of the relegation zone.
Lee Chong-Yong was the orchestrator in first-half stoppage time after he latched on to an over-hit corner and turned Adlene Guedioura inside out on the byline before picking out Knight to stroke the ball home from close range.
Wolves will feel hard done to as they created openings throughout the game and hit the post on two separate occasions after the break
The first of those came in the 62 minute when David Jones sent a curling free-kick crashing against the left upright.
And 16 minutes from time Kevin Foley also hit the woodwork with a fizzing effort from just outside the box.
The hosts started brightly though, and should have been more than one goal to the good at the interval.
Lee looked lively from the off and released Johan Elmander in the area in the 16th minute after a sweeping move.
However, the striker's shot carried little power and goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann was able to make a comfortable save.
Bolton maintained the momentum and Elmander cracked in a shot from the edge of the box that Hahnemann did well to block.
The home side should have taken the lead in the 30th minute following a misdirected header by Christophe Berra.
The ball fell nicely to Kevin Davies at the back post but his flick was turned away by Hahnemann. It fell to Elmander but his effort was blocked by Jody Craddock.
Wolves were indebted to their goalkeeper three minutes later when he clawed away an inswinging free-kick at the post.
However, they came close to scoring in the 44th minute after a corner from Jones.
Craddock peeled away from his marker to get in a header at the near post that Jussi Jaaskelainen pushed away.
Jack Wilshere then saw his close-range effort take a deflection off Karl Henry and go over the bar before Bolton took the lead through Knight seconds before the interval.
Within a minute of the restart Wanderers made an unsuccessful penalty appeal when Ronald Zubar appeared to handle as Davies attempted a cross.
Davies should have extended their lead a minute later when he was released by Fabrice Muamba.
However, he only succeeded in sending a soft shot from the edge of the area in Hahnemann's arms to the frustration of the home fans.
Wolves came within inches of drawing level in the 58th minute after Paul Robinson had been hauled back for flooring Jones.
Jones dusted himself down to send a fine free-kick beyond Jaaskelainen only to see his effort hit the post and bounce back out.
Bolton hit back and Lee picked out Stuart Holden but Hahnemann was equal to his effort.
Matt Jarvis then skipped into the area for Wolves, only for Sam Ricketts to make a timely block as he was about to shoot.
Wolves were cursing their luck again in the 71st minute when Foley showed good skill before firing in a shot that beat Jaaskelainen but struck the woodwork again.
Play switched down the other end and sub Ivan Klasnic was set up by Davies only for Hahnemann to parry his effort.
Then Klasnic whipped a shot wide of the post after a good delivery from Wilshere in the 80th minute.
The Croatian was proving to be a handful and almost made Hahnemann pay for a poor clearance, sending a long-distance header narrowly wide of the post.
| Bolton Wanderers |
Team Statistics |
Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 1 |
Goals |
0 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 7 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
3 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 7 |
Corners |
11 |
| 11 |
Fouls |
6 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 58.7 |
Passing Success |
63.8 |
| 24 |
Tackles |
15 |
| 87.5 |
Tackles Success |
66.7 |
| 45.4 |
Possession |
54.6 |
| 45.8 |
Territorial Advantage |
54.2 |
|
Barclays Premier League Relegation 2009/2010
