Matheus Cunha scored his 12th goal of the season as Wolves booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-0 victory at Championship promotion-chasers Blackburn.
After the hosts had a Dom Hyam header ruled out for offside, Wolves scored two goals in as many minutes just past the half-hour, taking the lead when Joao Gomes’ shot rolled in off goalkeeper Balazs Toth.
Top-scorer Cunha then swiftly doubled the advantage with a strike into the far corner, and the Brazilian, who signed a new contract with the club last weekend, had chances to net again after the break, putting a header over and twice seeing strikes saved by Toth.
Blackburn went into the tie amid uncertainty regarding boss John Eustace’s future after Derby County made an official approach to speak to him having sacked Paul Warne on Friday.
Eustace said: “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 former Rams midfielder made eight changes to his Rovers starting line-up from Tuesday’s 2-1 loss at QPR, handing debuts to deadline-day signings Emmanuel Dennis and Yuri Ribeiro and fellow January recruit Augustus Kargbo a first start, while Vitor Pereira’s Wolves XI showed five adjustments from last weekend’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
The opening moments saw Blackburn passing inside their own area lead to a chance for Wolves as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s shot was saved by Toth, who then dealt with a Cunha free-kick.
The hosts subsequently passed up a good opportunity with Kargbo blasting into the Darwen End, then had the ball in the net in the 19th minute as Hyam headed home, only for the flag to go up for offside. While it looked a tight call, with no VAR in use the effort was disallowed.
Seven minutes later Kargbo appealed for a penalty having gone down under the attentions of Emmanuel Agbadou, but referee Lewis Smith’s response was to book him for diving.
Joao Gomes celebrates his opener against Blackburn
Wolves then suddenly seized control of the contest by scoring twice in quick succession as Gomes’ shot went under Toth’s body off his arm and over the line, and Cunha fired past the Hungarian moments later having been teed up by Nelson Semedo.
Blackburn attempted to hit back before the interval with Dennis putting a header wide and seeing a shot go behind off Sam Johnstone’s legs, and Todd Cantwell subsequently blazed over the Wolves bar early in the second half.
The Premier League side then threatened to add to their lead as Cunha and substitute Marshall Munetsi, another deadline day signing making their debut, headed off-target from good positions.
Wolves’ push continued and Toth did well to push away a firm Cunha strike before Munetsi fired wide.
And after Johnstone made a good save to deny Blackburn substitute Makhtar Gueye, Cunha was denied by Toth again as Wolves’ progression was secured.
Morrison: Cunha will leave this summer
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Clinton Morrison had high praise for Matheus Cunha after Wolves tied the forward down to an extended contract in January, but he does feel the Brazilian will move on from the club in the summer
Sky Sports’ Clinton Morrison says there is “no chance” Cunha remains at Wolves past this season.
Cunha was heavily linked with a move away from Molineux in January, with Arsenal and Aston Villa both tipped as potential landing spots, but has since signed a new deal at the club until 2029.
“You can talk about all the signings they made but him signing a new contract was the best one,” Morrison said on Sky Sports News.
“He is outstanding and a lot of top teams are looking at him. In the summer he could still move on, he has X-factor.
“He can drop into pockets and receive the ball, only thing I’d say is can he add more goals.
“I think he can go higher. He can go to one of the top teams in the Premier League for sure. There were rumours of Arsenal and I think that would’ve been a good move.
“If you ask me if he’d be there next season, I’d say no chance. That is no disrespect to Wolves but he can go and play anywhere. He will want to play in the Champions League and to win trophies. He won’t be there come next season, that’s for sure.”
