Having gone into the clash at Molineux buoyed by earlier defeats for Leicester City and Ipswich Town, Wolves took their chance to move up thanks to Cunha's goal and an opener from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.

Bellegarde opened the scoring in the 12th minute, capping off a fine team move with a blistering finish at Emiliano Martinez's near post.

Cunha and Goncalo Guedes squandered fantastic chances to extend Wolves' lead before the interval, and it appeared as though the hosts would be punished when Donyell Malen – one of four half-time changes for Villa – nudged in from close range after the break.

However, the video assistant referee (VAR) confirmed the on-field decision of offside, having somewhat harshly concluded that Morgan Rogers had interfered with play by impacting Nelson Semedo's ability to challenge for the ball.

Yet Villa could not turn its frustration into chances, with Jose Sa only having one meaningful save to make before Cunha pounced on Ezri Konsa's mistake to lash in a decisive second.

Wolves moved into 17th place, two points above the drop zone, while Villa, which lost Ollie Watkins to injury, is in eighth place.