Top scorer Daryl Murphy was on target twice as Town defeated boss Mick McCarthy’s former club Wolves 2-1 at Portman Road. Murphy smashed home a brilliant opening goal in the 35th minute, the visitors got on terms via a James Henry fluke on 53 but the Irishman netted the winner six minutes later to take his season's total to 10.
Kevin Bru and Jay Tabb came into the Town side for the injured Cole Skuse and Teddy Bishop with the midfield duo out with groin injuries, along with keeper Dean Gerken and right-back Jonny Parr, while Jonny Williams was missing with a calf problem.
The Blues were first to threaten in the second minute, David McGoldrick feeding Murphy to his left and the Irishman hitting a powerful low shot which Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme claimed at the second attempt.
On six Stephen Hunt, playing on the right of the front three, crossed towards Murphy in the Wolves box. The ball ran loose and the grounded Town striker tried unsuccessfully to find a team-mate before the visitors cleared.
Town continued to have the better of it, with McGoldrick often dropping deep and seeing a lot of the ball, and on 12 Murphy shot over from 20 yards out on the left.
Wolves went close to going in front in the 13th minute when Leon Clarke’s shot deflected to Bakary Sako eight yards out but skipper Luke Chambers got across to block. The Midlanders lost Dave Edwards to injury a minute later with Michael Jacobs taking over.
Despite that chance it was the Blues who were on top and in the 15th minute they almost profited from a goalkeeping error when Ikeme dropped a Bru cross from the left at McGoldrick’s feet. The striker looked set to score but Ethan Ebanks-Landell somehow managed to divert the ball wide.
Bru hit a powerful 30-yard strike straight at Ikeme in the 19th minute with the Blues still having more of the ball and most of the chances.
On 26 Bru chipped the ball to the right of the area towards Hunt, who deftly flicked a low ball into the box with the outside of his left foot towards the sliding Tabb, who stabbed straight at Ikeme from a matter of feet. A yard or so either side of the keeper and it would have been a superbly worked opening Town goal.
Moments later, Hyam picked up the game’s first yellow card - and his fifth of the season meaning he’ll miss the Watford match - for a foul on Lee Evans just outside the area on the right. McGoldrick blocked Sako’s well-struck freekick, then within a minute Wolves right-back Matt Doherty joined Hyam in the book for a foul on Tyrone Mings.
Tommy Smith got in the way of Sako’s 33rd minute strike after the winger had cut in from the left but the Blues had been on top throughout the half, and in the 35th they got their reward.
Murphy out-muscled Kevin McDonald as the Wolves man looked to bring the ball out of the area, then turned and hit a curling 20-yard left-foot shot which Ikeme could only palm into the corner of the net. It was the ninth goal of Murphy’s excellent season and up there with the very best of them.
The Irishman went close again a minute later when he latched on to a Hunt pass inside the area but shot into the side-netting from a tight angle.
Town continued to press as the game moved towards half-time, Smith heading Hunt’s left-sided corner over the bar.
In injury time Wolves claimed a penalty as Jacobs went to ground with Smith holding him off as Bialkowski came off his line quickly to claim a ball through the middle. Referee Andrew Madley waved away the rather half-hearted appeals.
There was still time for Town to threaten again before the whistle. After McGoldrick had been fouled just outside the area on the right, Hunt played a low freekick across the area to the Blues frontman, who scuffed a shot which Ikeme just about got across and kept out.
The Blues were well worth their lead at the break having been the better side and having had enough chances to be even further in front. Ikeme had been much the busier of the two keepers with Town home debutant Bialkowski having rarely been tested.
The Blues started the second half as the ended the first, Murphy flicking the ball through to McGoldrick but just too far in front of his strike partner. At the other end, Sako lashed an effort well over from the left of the area.
On 53, following a Town corner, Wolves broke and one-time Blues target Henry saw a shot deflect wide off Berra. And from the resultant corner the visitors got back on terms.
The ball was cleared back out to Henry on the right and his cross was missed by everyone before bouncing into the right-hand corner of Bialkowski’s goal.
The goal was very harsh on the Blues who immediately went looking to regain the lead, attacking in sometimes risky numbers. Mings made a strong run down the left and sent a dangerous ball into the box, then Berra saw a strike blocked.
The visitors weren’t far away from going in front on 57 when Sako found Clarke with a long ball from the left, which the striker diverted just past Bialkowski’s right post.
But it wasn’t long before Town were back in front. Lee Evans inexplicably passed straight to McGoldrick just inside the Wolves half to the right and the Town striker brought the ball forward before playing it perfectly into the path of Murphy, who deftly lifted it over Ikeme and into the net for his 10th of the campaign.
Town continued to press and Mings struck a low effort from 30 yards which Ikeme claimed. The game was increasingly an end to end affair and on 62 Doherty brought the ball in from the left before hitting a shot across goal and wide.
The Blues almost claimed a fortunate third two minutes later when Ebanks-Landell slammed Mings’s left-wing cross against his skipper Danny Batth, the ball looping back only just wide of the post.
Bru hit a 30-yard effort just wide in the 73rd minute with the Blues still looking the more dangerous side, albeit without throwing players forward in quite the same number they had been earlier in the half.
Paul Anderson replaced the excellent but tiring Hunt for the final 14 minutes, the Irishman receiving a standing ovation as he left the field. On 79 Darren Ambrose came on for Tabb, while Liam McAlinden took over from the earlier sub Jacobs for the visitors.
Having made the changes the Blues largely sat back in the closing stages but with the visitors not particularly threatening Bialkowski’s goal. As the match moved into its penultimate minute Sako smashed a freekick miles over from distance, prompting a rendition of Sing Low Sweet Chariot from the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.
Conor Sammon replaced McGoldrick in the early stages of injury time as the Blues came under real pressure for the first time with the visitors winning a couple of freekicks in dangerous areas, Mings doing well to block a shot from McDonald.
Bru was booked for a foul as the game entered its closing seconds, then moments before the whistle Clarke had his name taken for clashing with Bialkowski.
The Blues thoroughly deserved the three points having been the better side throughout what was an entertaining game.
Having gone in front, the fortuitous Wolves goal came against the run of play but Town never panicked and quickly went about the business of regaining the lead.
Murphy - now the division's joint-top scorer with Derby's Chris Martin - will again grab the headlines for his excellent goals, but there were fine performances throughout the side, not least from Hunt and Bru.
The victory takes Town up to fifth in the table and above Norwich City, who drop to seventh following their 4-0 defeat at Middlesbrough.
Watford, who drop to third following their 2-1 defeat at Birmingham with Bournemouth now top, are at Portman Road on Saturday.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Bru, Hyam, Tabb (Ambrose 79), Hunt (Anderson 76), McGoldrick (Sammon 90), Murphy. Unused: Crowe,, Bajner, Hewitt, Henshall.
Wolves: Ikeme, Doherty, Batth (c), Ebanks-Landell, Rowe, McDonald, Evans, Henry (van La Parra 82), Edwards (Jacobs 14 (McAlinden 79)), Sako, Clarke. Unused: Kuszczak, Stearman, Saville, Ricketts, Jacobs. Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire). Att: 17,267 (Wolves: 948).