Aaron Mooy scored twice as Huddersfield Town moved off the bottom of the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Wolves at Molineux on Sunday.
David Wagner's side had dropped to the foot of the table following Fulham's win over Southampton on Saturday, but the congested nature of the league's bottom half means that a second victory in three games lifts it up to 14th.
Mooy's first came after just six minutes – a cool finish from 20 yards to open his account for the season – and the Australia international whipped in a fine free-kick from a similar distance in the 74th minute to seal all three points.
Wolves – which saw a Raul Jimenez effort hooked off the line in the second half – looked a shadow of the side that started the season so well and has now gone five games without a win.
Huddersfield started with a spring in their step and was rewarded with the opening goal. Erik Durm's low cross from the left was met on the edge of the penalty area by Mooy, who slotted into Rui Patricio's bottom-right corner.
Wagner's side comfortably kept Wolves at bay for the remainder of the first half and Steve Mounie could twice have doubled its advantage before the break. He saw two headed efforts denied, the first repelled by Patricio from Mooy's corner and the other blocked in front of goal by Matt Doherty.
Wolves thought it had pulled level after 56 minutes, but Philip Billing acrobatically hooked clear Jimenez's header before the whole ball had crossed the line. Billing then shot wide at the other end before Jimenez wasted a golden opportunity to equalise, poking well wide with only Jonas Lossl to beat.
That miss was brought into sharp focus 16 minutes from time when Mooy curled a 20-yard free-kick inside Patricio's left-hand post to wrap up a deserved victory for the revitalised Terriers.
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What does it mean? Town looks rejuvenated, Wolves struggling
After a torrid start to the season, Huddersfield is well and truly up and running. It picked up where it left off before the international break and has now gained seven points from a possible nine. Nuno Espirito Santo's side, meanwhile, looked bereft of ideas as its superb start to the season continues to unravel.
Mooy symbolises Terriers' fighting spirit
Mooy has often been a talismanic figure for Huddersfield and so it proved again at Molineux. Not only did he deliver two sublime finishes, but he worked tirelessly to frustrate the host in what was an all-action display.
Jimenez has a game to forgot
The Mexican striker was unlucky to see his effort hooked clear by Billing, but he has only himself to blame for making a mess of his one-on-one chance with Lossl shortly before Mooy's second goal.
Key Opta Facts
- There has not been a draw between Wolves and Huddersfield Town in any of the last 13 encounters in all competitions – two wins for Wolves, 11 for Huddersfield.
- Huddersfield won a top-flight match away to Wolves for the first time since December 1938, when it ran out 4-1 winner under manager Clem Stephenson (D2 L10).
- Wolves has now lost each of its last three home league games, as many defeats as in its previous 30 such matches (P30 W19 D8 L3).
- Since their promotion to the Premier League, Huddersfield have lost just one of their seven meetings with newly promoted sides, winning four and drawing three.
- Huddersfield won an away Premier League match without conceding a goal for the first time since their first such match in the competition (3-0 v Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park).
What's next?
Wolves visits Cardiff City on Friday, while Wagner's side welcomes Brighton and Hove Albion to Yorkshire a day later.
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