Wolves 53 Swindon 40

The Swede's return to Monmore after a year out, at the ripe old age of 39 summers, raised the odd eyebrow in the sport.

But there's no arguing with the facts, and the facts are that PK cleaned up in all five rides last night and beat Swindon kingpin Leigh Adams three times.

Adams' Monmore displays are legend – before last night you had to go back to 1999 to clock the last time he had failed to notch double figures at WV2 – but Karlsson had his number this time.

The skipper is not making consistently great getaways. But his overall trackcraft remains exemplary and he is, if possible, even more predatory in the cut and thrust first turns.

Right from the first heat you sensed that Karlsson was "on", surprise leader Travis McGowan barely having time to register that he was in front before the Wolves number one had driven underneath him on the entry into the third turn.

A routine win from the gate followed before Karlsson fluffed the start in heat 10 only to scythe his way to the front with a startling cutback off the second turn.

Jurica Pavlic still gave him plenty to think about.

The 19-year-old got a great run round the boards and had the temerity to come alongside, before Karlsson managed to reassert what he considers to be the natural order of things, running the Croatian out so wide that teammate Ty Proctor was able to nip through for a maximum heat win.

That put six points of daylight between the sides and Fredrik Lindgren's emphatic victory over Adams in the next maintained the margin for Wolves.

It left them with the trifling task of maximum victories in the final four heats, to reach the next round of the knockout cup.

Tai Woffinden and Ty Proctor got them on their way, Ryan Fisher running out of track and forced to bale out after a right struggle with the double-up reserve.

When Karlsson and Lindgren combined for a dominant 5-1 over Adams in heat 13, even the most hardened fan was beginning to wonder: What if?

Pavlic finally put the tie away in heat 14, the ever-willing Fisher picking up third after a spirited tussle with Adam Skornicki, but in the final race Karlsson and Lindgren reprised their earlier success to send the Wolves faithful home happy.

Wolves had effectively lost this tie on the road, the 21-point first-leg defeat to the Elite League title favourites always looking too much.

But this display augured so well for the season.