Wolverhampton Wanderers extended their lead at the top of the table to four points last night, following a battling 1-0 win at local rivals Birmingham City.

The visitors took the lead in the eighth minute when striker Leo Bonatini notched his twelfth goal of the season, following his arrival from Al Hilal in the summer on a season-long loan deal.

Birmingham fought back in the second half and had chances to equalise, before an 83rd minute red card for central defender Harlee Dean extinguished all hopes of a fight back.

The win ensured Wolves won their sixth consecutive match in the league, moving them a massive ten points clear of third place Bristol City.

Manager Nuno Santo will have been delighted with the result, if not the performance of his side, who had won each of their last five games by two goals or more.

Wolves managed to win ugly however, and Santo will know that this is a sign of champions in the making, but the Portuguese boss will keep his feet firmly on the ground in his quest for Premier League qualification.

Fans took to Twitter to celebrate the excellent result, with Wolves in such an excellent position that many actually complained about the poor performance…