Wolves 2 Aston Villa 3 - Wolves analysis

Wolves welcomed back two heroes on Saturday.

But while two-goal Robbie Keane delivered a painful reminder of why he remains the club's record £6m sale, Michael Kightly wound the clock back.

Kightly was Wolves' heartbeat as Mick McCarthy's side enjoyed a pulsating half an hour to half-time, as they produced arguably their finest football of the season.

The exciting winger was back to his very best as he led his team-mates into a frenzy of attacking, scoring the equaliser and setting up the second goal to give Wolves a deserved advantage at the break.

But it was a sobering thought that after playing so well, they still ended up with no points to show for it. And after eight Premier League games without a win and two victories in 20, they have flirted with danger for long enough as they dropped into the relegation zone.

McCarthy has so far this season been reluctant to say his team are in a survival scrap. But he can't ignore it any longer.

Kightly didn't hold back afterwards after declaring Wolves are in a dogfight.

And they are going to need more performances like his on Saturday replicated all over the pitch if they are going to survive again. For a start, they are going to have to cope without Karl Henry for the next three games after his needless sending off.

Henry apologised to his team-mates afterwards, but it was a pity he wasn't so conscientious on the pitch as his kicking out at Marc Albrighton proved to be the turning point.

In a near re-creation of David Beckham's blackest moment of France 98, Albrighton's over-reaction was disappointing. But the damage had been done and the Premier League's youngest referee Michael Oliver was left with no alternative but to brandish the red card.

How pivotal the moment was to prove.

With the match delicately poised at 2-2, the game was anyone's after Wolves' earlier fire had blown out with the half-time whistle. McCarthy's side have to fight so hard for any advantage they can.

Henry's moment of lunacy handed the initiative straight to Villa, and with 10 men, Wolves were suddenly trying to hang on for a point, rather than pushing for the win.

They were already hamstrung by the loss of Emmanuel Frimpong after his boot in the face from Stiliyan Petrov.

But Henry's self-inflicted loss meant they were robbed of their entire central midfield for the last 16 minutes, plus the eight minutes of time added on for the delay caused by Frimpong's injury.

There's no doubt it contributed heavily to two wildly contrasting halves of football.

Villa made the better start and should have been ahead after 48 seconds, but debutant Gary Gardner could only head wide from Ciaran Clark's cross.

Soon after, Steven Fletcher fired straight at Shay Given before Villa took the lead when Darren Bent calmly stroked home from the spot on 11 minutes after he had been chopped down by Christophe Berra as the Scot made a hash of trying to clear his lines. Wolves had what looked like their own justifiable appeals for a penalty turned down three minutes later when James Collins appeared to clip Dave Edwards.

But the home fans didn't have long to wait to cheer as Kightly curled home a fine goal when he had cut inside onto his left foot after Frimpong brilliantly beat two Villa players by flicking the ball over their heads Gazza-style before spreading play wide to the winger.

Edwards missed the chance to make it 2-1 when he sidefooted straight at Given from Jarvis's cross and Fletcher and Henry were denied by desperate goalline saves by Given and Marc Albrighton as Wolves hammered relentlessly at Villa's back line.

Edwards, however, finally got in on the act as he re-directed Johnson's header from Kightly's corner to give Wolves a 31st-minute lead.

At that stage, Villa could have no complaints at the scoreline as they had been left shellshocked by the sheer force of Wolves' attacking. Kightly in particular was inspired, running Clark ragged.

Villa boss Alex McLeish attempted to cut that avenue off by bringing on Stephen Warnock at half-time, and it was a ploy that worked, although Wolves didn't help themselves by not using the in-form winger so much after the break.

Whether Wolves were just physically incapable of reproducing their high-tempo first-half is unclear. But just like the first half-hour against Norwich and the last 30 minutes against Stoke, they lost their zip.

And the scales began to tip in Villa's direction within the space of two minutes.

First, Keane levelled with an opportunist shot on the turn that Wayne Hennessey got both sets of fingertips to on 51.

Then, with five minutes left, Keane produced a wonder strike from 30 yards that ripped into the net off the underside of the bar.

As ever, he refused to celebrate, but that was of no consolation for Wolves as they rued what might have been.

By Tim Nash