Matheus Cunha netted his 12th goal of the season as Wolves secured a 2-0 victory over Championship promotion hopefuls Blackburn, sealing their place in the FA Cup fifth round.
Blackburn initially thought they had taken the lead when Dom Hyam headed in, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
Wolves then took control with two goals in quick succession just past the half-hour mark. Joao Gomes opened the scoring when his shot deflected off goalkeeper Balazs Toth and crossed the line.
Moments later, Cunha doubled Wolves’ advantage with a clinical finish into the far corner.
The Brazilian forward, who recently signed a new contract, continued to pose a threat after the break, missing a header and forcing Toth into two fine saves.
The game came amid growing speculation about Blackburn boss John Eustace’s future following Derby County’s approach after sacking Paul Warne.
Eustace commented, “If that’s happened during the game (an official approach), I can’t say much about that. I’ll have to chat with the owners and see what’s happened.”
The Blackburn manager made eight changes to his line-up from the midweek defeat to QPR, handing first starts to deadline-day signings Emmanuel Dennis, Yuri Ribeiro, and Augustus Kargbo.
Meanwhile, Vitor Pereira made five changes to the Wolves side that defeated Aston Villa 2-0 last weekend.
Wolves had the first big chance when Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s shot was saved by Toth, who also kept out Cunha’s free-kick.
Blackburn responded with a good opportunity, but Kargbo fired into the Darwen End. Hyam thought he had broken the deadlock with a 19th-minute header, but the goal was ruled offside in the absence of VAR.
Kargbo then had a penalty appeal waved away seven minutes later after going down under pressure from Emmanuel Agbadou.
Referee Lewis Smith booked him for simulation. Wolves capitalized on the chaos, taking the lead when Gomes’ effort squirmed past Toth, quickly followed by Cunha’s precise finish after Nelson Semedo’s assist.
Blackburn pushed to reduce the deficit before halftime, with Dennis sending a header wide and seeing a shot deflect off goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
Early in the second half, Todd Cantwell fired over from a promising position. Wolves came close to extending their lead as Cunha and debutant Marshall Munetsi both missed headers from good positions.
Wolves’ relentless pressure continued, with Toth making an excellent save to deny Cunha, while Munetsi fired wide.
Blackburn substitute Makhtar Gueye almost pulled one back, but Johnstone produced a fine stop. Cunha had one final chance to add to his tally, but Toth was once again up to the task, ensuring Wolves’ comfortable progression.
