Wolves dealt a sizeable blow to the promotion hopes of their bitter rivals West Brom with an emphatic Derby victory at Molineux.

A late goal by defender Neil Clement was scant consolation for Albion on a day when they had considerably more to play for but were very much second best.

Albion were three goals adrift by the time of Albion's 82nd-minute consolation and Wolves really should have had more to show for 90 minutes of almost total dominance.

The game was a personal triumph for George Ndah, the speedy forward who broke his leg in last season's game at Albion.

He opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when he raced past a square defence onto a through ball by Carl Robinson, sidestepped the advancing Russell Hoult and stroked the ball into an empty net from a tight angle.

Ndah made it 2-0 on the stroke of the interval when he rose to head home from close range after Andy Sinton and Kevin Muscat had worked a short corner routine on the right.

Albion had threatened only once in the first half when Richard Sneekes and Jason van Blerk were both denied by good saves from Michael Oakes.

But that was rare respite as Wolves bore down on the visitors' goal with Ndah dragging a shot wide, Sinton bringing a diving save from Hoult, Muscat having an effort blocked near the line by van Blerk and Ludovic Pollet volleying against the foot of the post from 20 yards.

But the third goal Wolves had been promising came in the 65th minute from another corner on the right by Sinton.

Pollet rose unchallenged to head goalwards and the ball somehow crept through the legs of keeper Hoult as Adam Proudlock tried to make contact in front of him.

It was then a question of how many Wolves would score, Proudlock racing clear three times, only to twice shoot wide and also to bring a good save from Hoult after a bad mistake by Tony Butler.

But it was Albion, who pulled one back when Clements, having earlier sent a close-range header straight at Oakes, lashed home a left-foot shot from a narrow angle following a mistake by Muscat and a pass by Albion skipper Ruel Fox.

Teams

Wolverhampton: Oakes, Pollet, Lescott, Muscat, Naylor, Robinson, Proudlock, Andrews, Sinton, Ndah, Branch.

Subs Not Used: Osborn, Stowell, Camara, Roussel, Robert Taylor.

Booked: Sinton, Lescott.

Goals: Ndah 23, 45, Pollet 66.

West Brom: Hoult, Van Blerk (Balis 45), Carbon, Butler, Lyttle (Sigurdsson 45), Clement, Appleton (Jordao 52), Sneekes, Fox, Roberts, Hughes.

Subs Not Used: Jensen, Taylor.

Booked: Van Blerk, Butler, Sigurdsson, Clement.

Goals: Clement 82.

Att: 25,069

Ref: U Rennie (Sheffield).