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Wolves 4-0 Blackpool: O'Hara great-strike, Campbell sent-off
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake scored twice as Wolves recorded their biggest win of the season as they beat 10-man Blackpool 4-0 at Molineux, in Premiere League Saturday 26/02/2011.
In a match overshadowed by the tragic death of former Wolves defender Dean Richards, Matt Jarvis gave the Premier League strugglers the perfect start when he beat Blackpool keeper Richard Kingson after two minutes and Blackpool's task was made harder when they lost striker D J Campbell to a straight red card on 43 minutes.
Jamie O'Hara made the Seasiders pay when he was allowed to run and pick his spot shortly after the restart and substitute Ebanks-Blake made the points safe on 78 minutes after converting Kevin Doyle's cross.
As Blackpool collapsed, there was still time for Ebanks-Blake to drive the ball beyond Kingson in the last minute of normal time and send Wolves out of the drop zone.
The hosts came into the match propping up the table after a stoppage-time goal denied them all three points against West Brom in midweek, leaving the Midlanders with the sorry haul of just six points all season against sides in the bottom half.
In contrast, Ian Holloway’s Blackpool were flying high after they ended their six match winless run with a decisive 3-1 victory over Champions League contenders Spurs in midweek.
But the win over the Londoners came at a price for the Seasiders, costing them the talents of the influential Charlie Adam who started a two-match suspension.
The loss gave Holloway an early chance to assess how his side would shape up if they lose the talented Scot at the end of the season and the Blackpool boss threw on Keith Southern as his replacement.
But it was Wolves who made the dream start after two minutes.
Adam Hammill played the perfect ball in the path of Jarvis who curled the ball beyond the helpless Kingson
Campbell almost replied five minutes later with a near post flick that was turned away by the outstretched foot of Karl Henry before Jarvis tried his luck for Wolves with a 35-yard deflected strike.
As Wolves pressed, David Edwards' half-volley forced Kingson into a superb reaction save, while the Seasiders could only muster an off-target header by James Beattie as they tried to gain a foothold.
Hammill came within inches of adding a second when his chip just cleared Kingson's bar, while George Elokobi's far post header was chalked off after Christophe Berra impeded Kingson.
Blackpool substitute Luke Varney came close with ten minutes of the half remaining but failed to direct his sliding effort on target and the visitors were left with it all to do when Campbell was sent off with two minutes of the half remaining.
An elbow on Richard Stearman may have been enough to give the Blackpool man his marching orders, but when he followed up by jabbing his arms into the face of the Wolves man, ref Neil Swarbrick was left with no choice but to send the striker off.
The size of the visitors' task was brought home when Kingson acrobatically pushed away Kevin Foley's effort on 53 minutes, but Wolves only had to wait another sixty seconds before doubling their advantage.
O'Hara was allowed to run at the Blackpool defence and his 25 yard strike somehow eluded Kingson's outstretched hand.
Holloway introduced Matt Phillips and Brett Ormerod in a bid to salvage something from the game, but it was Wolves sub Ebanks-Blake who was denied by KIngson's leg.
O'Hara should have done better on 77 minutes when he had space to let fly with a left foot volley, but the three points were made safe two minutes later.
Doyle was given acres of space on the edge of the box to pick out the unmarked Ebanks-Blake at the far post and the gleeful striker poked home from a matter of yards.
As the demoralised visitors collapsed, Doyle almost capitalised on another teasing Jarvis cross with five minutes remaining, but the hosts were in no mood to be denied.
Stephen Ward found Ebanks-Blake and the sub easily beat Craig Cathcart to rifle the ball across Kingson and into the net.
The win sees Wolves move to within just four points behind the Seasiders as McCarthy’s side once again turned up the heat in what is proving to be a pressure cooker relegation scrap.
Ian Hare / Eurosport
Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
Team Line-up:
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Hennessey, Zubar, Stearman, Berra, Elokobi, Hammill, Henry, Edwards, Jarvis, O'Hara, Doyle. Subs: Hahnemann, Craddock, Ebanks-Blake, Fletcher, Ward, Milijas, Foley.
Blackpool: Kingson, Eardley, Evatt, Cathcart, Baptiste, Vaughan, Sylvestre, Southern, Kornilenko, Beattie, Campbell. Subs: Halstead, Ormerod, Varney, Phillips, Carney, Puncheon, Reid.
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