RUNAWAY Championship leaders Wolves pulled rank on City to stamp their authority on the promotion race in front of a passionate Molineux crowd.

Goals from Michael Kightly and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake settled the outcome and helped Mick McCarthy's in-form team establish a 10-point lead over the Robins.

Wolves have now won their last seven games and look unstoppable, while City go into Tuesday's home clash with Plymouth needing to win to restore their place in the top six.

Winger Kightly put Wolves in front on 17 minutes, beating Chris Weale with a free-kick from wide on the left, while Ebanks-Blake made sure of the points with a fierce shot on the turn in the 73rd minute.

But City matched the leaders blow for blow and had chances of their own, notably when Nicky Maynard, Dele Adebola and Ivan Sproule were denied by stand-in keeper Carl Ikeme.

Playing against his former employers, Michael McIndoe also went close to restoring parity on two occasions, only for Wanderers to ride their luck and come on strong in the final stages.

As expected, City boss Gary Johnson retained the personnel who ripped Doncaster Rovers apart in the second half at Ashton Gate last weekend. That meant a first start of the season for Marvin Elliott, who lined up alongside Lee Johnson in the centre of midfield. Cole Skuse switched to right-back, relegating Bradley Orr to the substitutes' bench.

Buoyed by a confidence-instilling sequence of six successive wins, the Championship leaders put City under intense pressure from the first whistle, forcing the visitors to defend deep in their own half.

Robins skipper Louis Carey and Skuse had to clear their lines at the expense of corners, Andy Keogh sent a header flying wide following a set-piece routine and Kevin Foley beat Chris Weale and the cross bar with a flighted chip from the edge of the penalty area as Wanderers dictated the opening exchanges.

Wolves went ahead in freakish circumstances on 17 minutes. Skuse was booked for pulling down Matt Jarvis just inside the right touchline and the resultant free-kick was curled into the far top corner by Kightly.

Weale was clearly at fault, mis-judging the trajectory of the ball and failing to react in time.

City responded in positive fashion and could have restored parity moments later, Dele Adebola setting up Ivan Sproule, whose angled shot was beaten out by keeper Carl Ikeme.

Making his League debut, Ikeme then blundered when picking up a back pass from Richard Stearman and conceding an indirect free-kick just inside the 18-yard box. Michael McIndoe's effort cannoned off the defensive wall and Ikeme atoned for his earlier mistake by holding Jamie McAllister's rasping drive.

He was again called into action when acrobatically taking off to fingertip Adebola's goal-bound header behind for a corner, before falling to his left to hold Nicky Maynard's shot on the turn.

Weale redeemed himself early in the second half, flinging out an arm to execute a startling reaction save when David Jones met a Jarvis cross from the left with a thunderous header from eight yards out.

And City’s keeper made an equally outstanding save moments later, diving low to his left to somehow keep out a downward header from Ebanks-Blake.

The visitors almost levelled matters on the hour, Wolves failing to clear their lines and the ball falling invitingly for McIndoe, whose shot flashed across the face of goal and behind with keeper Ikeme stranded.

McIndoe was again narrowly off target when Stearman deflected his header wide with Ikeme beaten, while, at the other end, Weale made another excellent save to turn away Keogh’s low drive.

But there was nothing the former Yeovil stopper could do to prevent Wanderers extending their lead 17 minutes from time. Jones turned the ball into the penalty area and Ebanks-Blake, using his strength to good effect, chested the ball down and turned in one movement to rifle a shot beyond Weale and inside the far post.