For Manchester United, a soothing return to winning ways to avert any sense another mini-crisis was brewing. Victories are scarcely this comfortable, even if Ruben Amorim’s side needed to navigate the briefest of scares when Wolves equalised with half-time looming. United turned on the style after the break, the manager clenching his right fist when Mason Mount made it 3-1 with a smart volley, building on goals by Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes, who also rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot.

For Wolves, this was yet another demoralising defeat, a 13th in 15 league matches. The last time they tasted victory, in April, Matheus Cunha, who enjoyed his return to Molineux in United’s all-black strip, opened the scoring. Nine fan groups totalling thousands of supporters protested against the Wolves owner, Fosun, by boycotting the first 15 minutes. Supporters voiced their anger at the players, too. “You’re not fit to wear the shirt,” they sang, and jeered Jørgen Strand Larsen when he was taken off. There were pantomime laughs when the fourth official indicated at least nine minutes of stoppage time.

This season, primed to end in relegation, has been a painful slow puncture. Still, only another 23 league games to go. Next up, a trip to the leaders Arsenal on Saturday. How many points will Wolves take from the remaining 69 available? Will they beat Derby’s unwanted record-low tally of 11 in 2007-08? At this stage last season Southampton, who ended with 12, were on five. The mood music will not change anytime soon and it threatens to be a long six months for Rob Edwards, for whom this was a fourth straight defeat since taking charge. The stands were almost empty long before the final whistle, after which Cunha saluted those who stayed until the end. Wolves are a shell compared to the club that reached Europe under Nuno Espírito Santo.

If ever a goal summed up Wolves’s season, it was Fernandes’s first here. André, facing his own goal, was dispossessed by Casemiro midway inside the Wolves half and the United midfielder located Cunha on the edge of the 18-yard box. United were two v one. Cunha teed up Fernandes, who, after losing his footing, recovered to shoot after keeping Emmanuel Agbadou at arm’s length, the Wolves resistance feeble. Fernandes’s shot was tame by his standards but beat Sam Johnstone in the Wolves goal. Yerson Mosquera was left in a tangle in the back of the net. Four minutes later, Cunha would have doubled their advantage but for Toti Gomes’s heroic goalline clearance.

Even the most optimistic Wolves supporters are resigned to relegation. Anger has largely been superseded by apathy. Even the early jeers for Cunha were half hearted. “You sold the team, now sell the club,” was the now-familiar strain that rained down from the South Bank as those absent for the opening quarter of an hour went to their seats. Wolves’s supporters cycled through the chants against the club’s executive chair, Jeff Shi. “I understand the frustration,” Edwards said. “I won’t tell fans what to do. I’d love them to support the players but they have to see effort and commitment in return.”

Few envisaged Wolves levelling on the verge of half-time, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde restoring parity. Or, indeed, Wolves being cheered off – and not sarcastically – as they headed down the tunnel at the break. Gomes crossed the ball from left to right and Ki-Jana Hoever sent it back where it came from. David Møller Wolfe blasted it into the box and Bellegarde, on the stretch, diverted the ball low into the bottom corner past Senne Lammens.

Mason Mount celebrates scoring against Wolves in their 4-1 win. Photograph: Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

United reappeared intent on regaining the lead. “The manager had a few things to say,” Mount said diplomatically of Amorim’s half-time message. Cunha rolled Ladislav Krejci on the edge of the box but, looking for the far top corner, he spooned his shot over. Mbeumo saw a shot blocked, Agbadou thwarted Cunha. United’s pressure was unrelenting.

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Luke Shaw halted Bellegarde advancing and, little did he know, kickstarted a counterattack that led to a goal. Cunha sent a weighted pass through for Diogo Dalot, flying forward on the overlap, who squared the ball for Mbeumo to do the rest. It was a strike that killed any hopes of an unlikely comeback win. Mount, who scored the winner at Palace on United’s previous away outing, made sure. Agbadou stopped a goalbound shot by Fernandes but then seemed to think it was job done. Fernandes reclaimed possession and scooped a pass into the box, where Mount, played onside by Agbadou, arrived unmarked to volley in.

There was still time for more United cheer. First, the travelling supporters rejoiced at the 79th-minute arrival of Kobbie Mainoo, this his third appearance since October. Then, Mosquera was penalised for handball and Fernandes scored his second of the night from the spot, lashing his penalty low into the corner to lift United into sixth.