In-form Crystal Palace maintained their march up the Coca-Cola Championship table by heaping further misery on stuttering Wolves.

The Eagles have swapped a relegation scrap for a promotion push since Neil Warnock took over at Selhurst Park and they produced an impressive display at Molineux to extend their unbeaten run to 14 league games.

In-form striker Clinton Morrison took his tally to 10 goals in his last 12 Championship matches to give Palace the lead and second-half strikes from teenager Sean Scannell and a fine volley from James Scowcroft sealed the points.

It was a familiar story for Mick McCarthy's toothless Wolves side, who have now gone eight league games without a victory and were made to pay for some wasteful finishing by a clinical Palace outfit.

McCarthy handed a debut to new signing Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who joined the club from rivals Plymouth this week, while Karl Henry returned from suspension.

There was also a debutant in the Palace line-up, with John Halls slotting into the defence following his loan move from Reading.

Eagles boss Neil Warnock recalled midfield duo Tom Soares and Shaun Derry, who were rested for the FA Cup defeat at Watford last weekend.

Both sides struggled to get going in the opening exchanges but it was Palace who almost broke the deadlock 12 minutes in.

The chance fell to former Ipswich striker Scowcroft, whose goalbound header was tipped over the crossbar by Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

Wolves finally got behind the Palace defence 22 minutes in and Henry crossed for Stephen Ward, who failed to hit the target with a header from just six yards out.

With 22 minutes on the clock, the visitors made him pay when Morrison opened the scoring.

The Wolves defence failed to clear their lines and former Birmingham striker Morrison took full advantage, firing a clinical right-foot finish into the bottom-right corner of the net.

Jay Bothroyd tested Julian Speroni with a left-foot strike from just outside the area five minutes before the break, but the Palace goalkeeper made a comfortable save.

And to add to McCarthy's woes he lost on-loan midfielder Darron Gibson to injury just before the interval.

Then just three minutes after the break there was further misery for the Molineux faithful when 17-year-old forward Scannell doubled the visitors' lead.

Halls swung in a a telling cross and the lively Morrison set up Scannell, who made no mistake with a right-foot finish from just six yards out.

Kevin Foley had an opportunity to halve the deficit headed Bothroyd's inviting cross wide of the target.

And Andy Keogh was also guilty of wastefully finishing, heading substitute Matt Jarvis' pinpoint cross wide from close range.

Freddy Eastwood had an opportunity to end his goal drought but shot straight at Speroni from just outside the area.

And was all but ended with 25 minutes remaining when Scowcroft added a third for the Londoners.

There seemed to be no danger when the ball looped towards the former Leicester man, but he produced a magnificent right-foot volley which flew into the top-right corner of the net.

Wales striker Eastwood once again called Speroni into action with a long-range strike, but the Palace keeper was up to the task.

And although Wolves continued to press forward, the damage had already been done.

Teams:

Wolverhampton Hennessey, Foley, Darren Ward, Collins, Gray,Gibson (Jarvis 42), Henry, Potter, Stephen Ward (Eastwood 52),Bothroyd, Ebanks-Blake (Keogh 52).

Subs Not Used: Ikeme, Edwards.

Crystal Palace Speroni, Halls, Hudson, Lawrence,Hill (Hills 66), Watson, Soares, Derry (Moses 84), Scowcroft,Scannell (Grabban 68), Morrison.

Subs Not Used: Freedman, Fletcher.

Goals: Morrison 24, Scannell 49, Scowcroft 66.

Att: 22,650

Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).