David Nugent gave Leicester City a three-point cushion in the automatic promotion places as his superb strike ensured City's fifth consecutive league victory last night.
Nugent's 14th goal of the season was his second winner in two league games, and sent City clear of third-placed Hull.
Anthony Knockaert had fired City into a first-half lead against Wolverhampton Wanderers with his eighth goal of the season – and City seemed in complete control.
But Bakary Sako scored a superb equaliser at the start of the second half and it looked like being a frustrating evening for the home side until Nugent scored his wonderful winner.
City went into the game on the back of a four league victories and faced a Wolves side that had not won in seven, and the first half mirrored that form.
City were bristling from the off with Knockaert, who shook off an ankle injury to play, orchestrating the attacks as they laid siege to Carl Ikeme's goal in the early stages.
It was no surprise, then, when Knockaert fired City ahead in the 24th minute.
He was superbly picked out by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel's long clearance and then beat left-back Stephen Ward before firing past Ikeme from an acute angle.
City should have gone into the break further ahead, such was their dominance, but Ben Marshall wasted the best opportunity when he was teed up on the edge of the box, but fired over.
Wolves then belied their recent poor form at the start of the second half and Sako, the man who earned Wolves a victory over City earlier in the season at Molineux, scored a thunderous equaliser.
Things weren't going City's way and they had a strong shout for a penalty waved away when Marshall's shot struck Christophe Berra's arm, and they struggled to regain their grip on the game.
However, it was settled when Nugent produced a vintage strike in the 73rd minute when he cut in off the left flank and buried a curling effort past Ikeme.
An unusually poor touch from Nugent denied him a second – and City a third – shortly afterwards and they almost paid the price as Sylvan Ebanks-Blake came close on three occasions and even struck the post in a frantic end to the game.
City held on for another hard-fought victory, and can now relax on Saturday as their rivals attempt to stop them opening up a gap in the race for the Premier League.
