Wolves 1 Villa 2

Emile Heskey snatched a dramatic 88th minute winner to give Villa victory over Wolves in the Molineux derby clash.

Villa had taken the initiative with a first half lead from Stewart Downing, only for Wolves to hit back strongly after the break and equalise with a Matt Jarvis goal.

But a peach of a header by the revitalised Heskey clinched a second successive win for new manager Gerard Houllier and sentenced Mick McCarthy's side a third successive defeat.

Wolves had opened brightly and it needed a terrific challenge from Stephen Warnock to prevent the home side taking the lead. when Kevin Doyle played in Dave Edwards whose shot the full-back diverted wide.

But Villa slowly got on top and, after goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann had parried away a James Collins header as the visitors' threat gathered momentum, they took a 25th minute lead after Heskey had fed the ball out wide to Marc Albrighton.

Albrighton whipped over a tremendous cross and Downing stole through on the blind side of Wolves defence to convert the chance first time.

Wolves gathered themselves enough to force an impressive double save from goalkeeper Brad Friedel at the other end, who beat away a fierce left-footed drive from Steven Fletcher and then was up and ready to deal with Doyle's effort on the follow-up.

But Villa's defence were totally wrong footed in the 61st minute as Wolves built up the pressure.

They had done a good job limiting Jarvis's impact in the game but, when the winger got the chance to curl over an in-swinging cross, Edwards' intended challenge flummoxed Friedel - and the ball went straight into the net.

Wolves, who had lost Stephen Ward to injury before the break, sent on Adlene Guedioura for David Edwards in a last ditch attempt to win, but found it difficult to create a clear-cut opening from a defence in which Carlos Cuellar was outstanding.

Instead it was Villa who celebrated victory when Downing and the ever-threatening Ashley Young set up Warnock for a cross, which Heskey met with a brilliant header which gave Hahnemann no chance.