Bolton Wanderers vs Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sky Bet Championship.
University of Bolton StadiumAttendance19,092.
Saturday 21 April 2018 18:42, UK
Wolves will take their place in the Premier League next season as Sky Bet Championship winners after thrashing Bolton 4-0 at the Macron Stadium.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side only needed a point to cap a brilliant season with the division's top spot silverware. First-half goals from full-back Barry Douglas and on-loan striker Benik Afobe virtually ensured Wolves had wrapped up the title by half-time.
And when Diogo Jota chipped keeper Ben Alnwick for the visitors' third seven minutes after the restart, the party certainly started among 4,796 travelling fans. Conor Coady added a fourth from the spot to confirm what was already known.
In contrast, defeat dropped Bolton closer to the relegation zone with games to play against Burton and Nottingham Forest. Phil Parkinson's side have collected just seven points out of the last 33 available and are poised for a quick return to League One.
The home side, previously unbeaten against Wolves at the Macron since 1999, started promisingly enough. Skipper Darren Pratley was off target with a fourth-minute header which should have at least tested keeper John Ruddy.
Filipe Morais then fired wide from an acute angle while there were strong appeals for a penalty after full-back Antonee Robinson went sprawling.
Gradually, though, Wolves turned the screw with one-time Bolton loanee Afobe prominent. The Bournemouth frontman saw one shot blocked by David Wheater while another right-footed attempt was pushed out by Alnwick.
Douglas reacted quicker than Morais to the loose ball and drove in an angled left-footed shot for the opening goal, his first since January 2 and fifth of the campaign after 16 minutes.
Jota and Helder Costa forced saves from Alnwick before Wolves doubled their advantage after 44 minutes.
Afobe superbly controlled a long pass with his first touch. Alnwick initially appeared to check the scorer's run but Afobe came out of the challenge with the ball, rolling it into an unguarded net from 12 yards for his sixth goal since moving to the West Midlands.
Bolton have not scored twice since December 23, 2017 so any comeback appeared in vain.
And it was game over, uncork the champagne when Jota accepted Costa's pass and lifted the ball over the advancing Alnwick after 52 minutes.
Wolves were now in cruise control and almost Afobe's last act before being substituted was to win the penalty for his team's fourth goal after 64 minutes.
The ex-Arsenal youngster's first shot was blocked and former Molineux favourite Karl Henry clattered into him before he could follow-up.
Afobe was first to step up for the spot-kick before handing the ball to Coady to fire in right-footed for his first goal of the season.
Phil Parkinson: "It was okay at the start but I think we have been punished by the way we set up. We had some decent moments but Wolves are a team who'll punish you. Look at the first half, there weren't many moments where we lost concentration, but the two we did, we got done.
"It's either a moment of quality or a spell where someone switches off and it gives them a chance they invariably take. The morale has been hit, it was a long afternoon, we can't hide away from that. They are far and away the best team in this division, no doubt about it."
Nuno: "It is very special. Now I want to achieve more. I want more points but I am not thinking about myself. We want to win every game. We want to improve and we want to grow. This season deserves the last day the same ethic of work we have done from the beginning. We will not change because this is what we are."
"It means a lot especially to the fans who travel so long and so far away. Not only from today but from the beginning of the season. We are really thankful for what they have been doing and how they are supporting."
