Midfielder Lee Bowyer's sublime early strike was enough to deservedly land Blues the spoils in the West Midlands derby at Molineux.

On the weekend that signalled Alex McLeish's second year at the helm the Blues boss named an unchanged side to take on Wolves - and they responded to make it a happy anniversary and take the side's unbeaten Premier League run to five matches.

The same eleven that had beaten Fulham 1-0 at St. Andrew's the weekend before began the game.

Wolves brought Michael Mancienne back into the starting line-up for the first time since the start of October, the man on loan from Chelsea occupying the right-back role.

And Blues had the best possible start, taking the game to their hosts and taking the lead with just over two minutes played.

McLeish's men crafted a superb possession move that had Chucho and Seb Larsson at the heart of it. They swept the side forward and after the Ecuadorian had held the ball up on the goal-line he played it back to Larsson, who in turn found Lee Bowyer some 25-yards plus out from goal.

The midfielder, Blues' top scorer so far this campaign, took a touch before producing a wonderful chip which floated over the exposed Marcus Hahnemann and into the top corner for his fifth successful strike of the season.

Bowyer wheeled away in celebration and was mobbed by his team-mates and there was ecstasy in the away end too as 2,000-plus away fans went crazy.

Wolves had started slowly and their fans were starting to grumble but on 11 they nearly had something to cheer about when Matt Jarvis sent over a pinpoint cross from the left that was perfect for David Edwards, six yards out. However the defender completely missed the target with his effort.

Bowyer let fly with a low 20-yarder that was comfortably saved by Hahnemann and the warning was there to Wolves again that the midfielder, as always, was prepared to break deep into enemy territory.

At the other end Liam Ridgewell was first to react with a deft header that prevented Greg Halford from nipping in to potentially equalise as Blues produced yet more gutsy defending.

On 21 Larsson got on the end of a Ridgewell centre from the left and hit a first time half-volley but it was a little bit lacking in bite and drifted into the welcoming arms of Hahnemann. Seconds later James McFadden headed over following a Ridgewell free-kick.

A neat move on the half-hour mark that involved Chucho and Bowyer resulted in an opportunity for Cameron Jerome, who let fly with a first time shot straight at Hahnemann from just inside the box.

Blues' domination of the opening spells led to Wolves making a change after just 32 minutes, Michael Kightly coming on for the quiet Greg Halford.

On 35 Blues players protested to referee Mark Clattenburg after Jarvis had tussled with Scott Dann in the Wolves area. McLeish's men were awarded only a corner but nearly made that count when Bowyer's rasping shot from just outside the area deflected off a defender and was tipped over by Hahnemann.

Blues went into the interval in a deserved 1-0 lead and, in truth, no-one could have complained had the margin been wider.

But Wolves started the second half more brightly and just over a minute after the re-start Doyle unleashed a ferocious shot from just outside the box that had Hart scrambling across his line but thankfully the effort flew a couple of yards wide.

The home crowd were heartened by the response but Blues were still defending heroically and Ridgewell was fouled by Kightly in producing a typically committed challenge.

On 59 Christophe Berra became the first player to receive a yellow card from referee Clattenburg for pulling back Jerome as the striker attempted to go past him.

Six minutes later Larsson's piledriver fizzed well wide after the ball had broken to him on the edge of the area following Ridgewell's swinging cross from the left.

Wolves sub Michael Kightly was then substituted himself after picking up a knock, Nenad Milijas replacing him, before Jerome's looping cross from the right was headed over the bar for a corner by Jody Craddock.

Blues continued to press for a second goal and on 73 it almost came on the break. Jerome raced down the left and with both McFadden and Ridgewell overlapping on his right he fed the Scot who took a touch before arrowing a shot in the direction of the bottom corner which flicked off a defender's ankle and agonisingly the wrong side of the post.

Dann was then left in pain after a perfectly timed tackle on Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and he limped back on just as Hart dived to his left to superbly save a Jarvis half-volley from 12 yards which he can only have seen late through a ruck of bodies.

On 86 Blues breathed a sigh of relief when Ebanks-Blake headed an Edwards cross only a few yards wide of Hart's left-hand post in what was one of only a few times that Wolves had truly troubled the St. Andrew's outfit.

A minute or so later Keith Fahey came on for the hard working Chucho as the travelling faithful sensed victory and broke into a chorus of 'Keep Right On'.

Ebanks-Blake picked up a booking at the start of four minutes of injury time and Jerome saw yellow too for a foul on Jarvis as Blues stood firm to record an impressive away victory.

Wolves: Marcus Hahnemann, Dave Edwards, Richard Stearman, Jody Craddock, Karl Henry (C), Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Greg Halford (Michael Kightly 32, Nenad Milijas 68), Christophe Berra, Matt Jarvis, Michael Mancienne (Stephen Ward 46), Kevin Doyle. Unused subs: Wayne Hennessey, Andy Keogh, Stefan Maierhofer, Segundo Castillo.

Blues: Joe Hart, Stephen Carr (C), Roger Johnson, Scott Dann, Liam Ridgewell, Seb Larsson, Lee Bowyer, Barry Ferguson, James McFadden, Cameron Jerome, Chucho (Keith Fahey 88). Unused subs: Maik Taylor, Gary McSheffrey, Franck Queudrue, James O'Shea, Lee Carsley, Gregory Vignal.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Bookings: Berra (59); Ebanks-Blake (90); Jerome (90).

Attendance: 26,668