Atsuki Ito, Sam Dalby and Josh Sheehan provided the goals on a magical night at Molineux which must surely rank among the best in Steven Schumacher’s tenure.
Few gave the Whites a hope of causing an upset against a side fresh out of the Premier League with more than 1,500 Premier League appearances spread about their squad in comparison to Bolton’s meagre 35.
But with Sheehan looking the classiest act on the pitch and Gavin Bazunu producing a world class save from Adam Armstrong at 1-1, the points fully deserved to head back up the M6.
Wanderers made five changes to the side that lost against Stoke City, with Thelonius Bair and Atsuki Ito both handed their first starts for the club. Akin Famewo, Lewis Brunt and Sam Iling Junior also came in, with Ben Davies, Max Conway, Ruben Rodrigues and Sam Dalby dropped to the bench, and Kyliane Dong not appearing on the teamsheet at all. Young winger Max Lott – a former Villa youth product signed in the summer – also made his first appearance in the senior squad.
Wanderers started the night as heavy underdogs but quickly exposed chinks in the Wolves armour.
Iling-Junior was put in on goal by an inch-perfect pass from Josh Sheehan early on but was denied by Jose Sa’s sprawling save at his feet.
The Wolves keeper then threw out an arm to push away Sheehan’s rasping effort from the edge of the box a few moments later, as the Whites continued to give as good as they got.
Undefeated at Molineux to that point, the weight of expectation from a large home crowd was audible. As Wolves wrestled with the offside trap, the frustration grew, and even the ball boy got the bird at one stage after play was halted for longer than necessary.
Bolton’s defending had to be brave. Eoin Toal and Lewis Brunt both made important blocks, to keep out former Whites loanee Adam Armstrong, and when Mateus Mane did get a clear sight on goal, he was unable to keep his angled shot on target.
Wolves continued to struggle for composure, Jordan James turned another decent chance wide of the post and Armstrong sliced at thin air from Kieran Trippier’s cross. And by the 28th minute, Wanderers made them pay.
Sheehan whipped a cross in following a short corner, and as Sa struggled under pressure from Bair, Ito kept his cool to lash the ball into the back of the net on the half-volley.
Wanderers’ fans, spread right across the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand, danced with joy as the Japanese midfielder lay flat on his back looking to the skies, having scored his second goal in three appearances.
Taking the lead seemed to bring out a touch of nervousness in the Whites, however, and they allowed more pressure to be put on their goal in the final 15 minutes of the half by consistently giving away cheap possession in their own half.
Wolves did not look in the mood at any point in the first half to take advantage, and though Fer Lopez directed one header straight at Gavin Bazunu and Hugo Bueno drilled a shot wide from distance, it was with an unexpected degree of comfort that Schumacher’s side was able to go back in at half time.
Sadly, Wolves were in a different mood on their return. Bellegarde brought the scores level when he ran in behind Famewo on to Ladislav Krejci’s pass to bury his shot past Bazunu into the bottom corner.
Molineux’s volume levels increased instantly and for a few moments Bolton looked to be rattled, misplacing passes and shanking clearances to make life more stressful for themselves.
Schumacher reacted by bringing on some fresh energy in the form of Dalby, Rodrigues and Jayden Nelson, and as the game ticked towards its final quarter, he would have felt quite content to hear that the grumbles were starting to return.
Things might have been different had Armstrong been able to beat Bazunu from close range. Latching on to sub Rafiki Said’s low cross, the Wolves front man could hardly believe the Irishman got his hand to a shot that looked destined to hit the back of the net.
Just a few minutes later, Bolton had got themselves in front again. A well-crafted second goal was turned in at the near post by Dalby but created by a clever give and go between Gale and Larrazabal on the right side of the penalty box.
Schumacher brought on Max Conway and Xav Simons for some extra defensive protection but in typically swashbuckling style, the Whites refused to stop pouring forward and still had another goal in them. And what a goal, too.
Famewo went up to try and win a free kick chipped into the Wolves box but the ball was cleared, dropping to Sheehan some 30 yards out. With a casual wave of the right foot, he sent a shot dipping back towards the net which dropped under the bar past Sa’s outstretched glove.