Wembley-bound Tranmere endured a miserable night at Molineux as Wolves recorded their biggest victory of the season.

Wolves' leading scorer Ade Akinbiyi struck twice as the Worthington Cup finalists were put to the sword in an ultimately one-sided game.

John Aldridge's side had competed well for most of the evening and were well in the contest until Wolves got their third goal midway through the second half.

And Rovers had another worry near the end when talented left-winger Alan Mahon had to be helped off with a leg injury after an innocuous challenge with Darren Bazeley.

Wolves took control towards the end of the first half against a side who had no fewer than four players suspended in the countdown to Sunday's home FA Cup quarter-final with Newcastle.

Most of the credit for the breakthrough went to Andy Sinton, who crossed superbly from the left and put the ball right on the spot for Akinbiyi to score with a bouncing close-range header.

That 35th-minute lead was consolidated seconds before the interval when Phil Babb was penalised 25 yards out and recalled left-back Lee Naylor crashed home a tremendous shot after the ball had been touched to him.

The second half started quietly and neither goal was seriously troubled, although Rovers' Nick Henry brought a scrambling save from Michael Oakes with a long-range effort.

But in the 69th minute Wolves made the game virtually safe when Bazeley cut inside former Wolves' full-back Andy Thompson and scored with a fine left-foot shot which went in off the foot of the far post.

The rout was completed two minutes from time when Akinbiyi stabbed home after the recalled Scott Taylor had highlighted an industrious night in Wolves' midfield by bursting superbly between his namesake in the Tranmere side and substitute Gareth Roberts.

Most of Tranmere's attacking threat came in the first half with Taylor heading straight at Oakes and having an angled shot blocked by the keeper.

At the other end, Akinbiyi was denied by a fine block from Dave Challinor while, in the latter stages, Steve Sedgley sliced wide from one good chance and was thwarted by a goal-line clearance from Henry following a corner.

It was Wolves' third successive home win and put them back within one point of sixth-placed near neighbours Birmingham.

Teams

Wolverhampton: Oakes, Muscat, Pollet, Curle, Naylor, Bazeley, Taylor (Robinson 88), Sedgley, Sinton (Simpson 89), Emblen (Flo 89), Akinbiyi.

Subs Not Used: Green, Petterson.

Booked: Muscat.

Goals: Akinbiyi 35, Naylor 45, Bazeley 69, Akinbiyi 88.

Tranmere: Achterberg, Hazell, Babb, Challinor, Thompson (Roberts 78), Taylor, Mahon (Jones 84), Henry, Morgan, Parkinson (Black 76), Allison.

Subs Not Used: Nixon, Yates.

Att: 18,186

Ref: J Kirkby (Sheffield).