Crystal Palace 0
Wolves 2 (Gray 76, Kyle 89)
Two excellent strikes in the final 15 minutes gave Wolves victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and helped banish the FA Cup blues from the previous weekend.
Mick McCarthy made wholesale change to the team that had lost to Cardiff. Seyi Olofinjana and the two Kevins, Foley and Kyle, were relegated to the bench whilst there was no place for Jay Bothroyd or Andy Keogh.
Into the side came Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, David Edwards and George Elokobi - all cup tied at Ninian Park, along with Stephen Elliott and the fit again Neill Collins as the manager opted for a 4-5-1 formation.
The first chance of the game fell to Tom Soares who headed narrowly wide after connecting with Lee Hills' long throw in.
Elliott posed Wolves' first threat with a snapshot from 25-yards that was touched over the bar by Palace keeper Julian Speroni.
From the corner conceded, taken by Darren Potter, Jody Craddock headed just wide of the far post.
Wayne Hennessey dived to collect an angled drive from Shefki Kuqi before a Michael Gray free-kick was cleared after Clint Hill had fouled Elliott to the right of the home area.
Craddock blocked and then cleared a shot from Ben Watson before Hennessey had to punch behind a Watson corner for a second that was cleared upfield to Elokobi who outstripped his marker before delivering a cross that was headed behind for an unproductive Wolves flag-kick.
On 42 minutes Kuqi went into the book for tripping Gray who took the resultant free-kick. Ebanks-Blake barged into Speroni as he collected the ball and he too went into the book.
Shortly before the break Hennessey saved a low shot from Shaun Derry.
Half-Time; Palace 0 Wolves 0
Inside the first minute of the new half Ebanks-Blake volleyed over after Edwards had laid a Gray centre into his path.
Craddock threw himself into the path of a Watson shot and Carl Fletcher followed up with a drive that flashed wide of Hennessey's right-hand post.
Just before the hour mark, Neil Warnock made two changes to his side with Clinton Morrison and Paul Ifill replacing Hills and Soares respectively.
As in the opening 45 minutes, chances at either end were few and far between with the only incidents of note coming when Fletcher was booked for pulling back Potter before Kuqi made a gesture towards the crowd as he was replaced by James Scowcroft in the 70th minute.
Then, out of the blue, Wanderers took the lead thanks to a tremendous strike from Gray - his first goal for the club.
Potter broke from the halfway line and tried a long-range shot that cannoned off Matt Lawrence into the path of Gray. With everyone expecting a cross from the right hand corner of the box, he hit an unstoppable effort into the far corner of the net.
With ten minutes remaining Kyle was sent on in place of Ebanks-Blake shortly before Hennessey beat Morrison to Ifill's short cross.
Hennessey was clattered by Matt Lawrence as the pair vied for Watson's corner. The keeper was clearly dazed and had to leave the field to be replaced by Graham Stack with two minutes of the 90 remaining. At the same time Foley came on for Ebanks-Blake.
Seconds later Kyle made sure the points were Molineux bound when he collected a long clearance from Collins and beat Speroni with a 25-yard half-volley that flew into the net.
In stoppage time Potter almost made it three with a shot that clipped the top of the bar after he had taken a return pass from Foley.
Just before the end of the six additional minutes, Stack made an athletic save to turn away a drive from Ifill.
Palace: Speroni, Lawrence, Hill, Hudson (capt), Fletcher, Watson, Soares (Ifill 58), Butterfield, Derry, Kuqi (Scowcroft 68), Hills (Morrison 58).
Unused subs: Fonte, Scannell.
Bookings: Kuqi (40 - foul), Fletcher (68 - foul).
Wolves: Hennessey (Stack 88), Collins, Elokobi, Henry, Craddock, Breen (capt), Potter, D. Edwards, Ebanks-Blake (Foley 88), Elliott (Kyle 81), Gray.
Unused subs: Olofinjana, Eastwood.
Booking: Ebanks-Blake (41 - foul).
Referee: K. Woolmer.
Attendance: 15,679 (1,300 away supporters).
