Steve Mounie's last-gasp goal secured Huddersfield Town a 1-0 win over Wolves, ending a run of five successive Premier League defeats and giving Jan Siewert his first points as manager.
Siewert, who was brought in as David Wagner's full-time successor at the end of January, had seen Huddersfield suffer defeats in each of his first four matches at the helm, but after ringing the changes his side battled to its first league victory since winning away to Wolves in November.
Aside from a few half-chances, the opening period passed with precious little excitement, though Siewert was surely happy to see an improvement from Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United having made eight alterations.
Huddersfield appeared more committed to attacking in the second half and, although its luck seemed to have deserted it with a few misses, its persistence paid off and Mounie made amends for a bad miss early on, clinching only its third league win of the campaign.
Jonathan Hogg saw a 25-yard effort deflected just past the post in the sixth minute, but any early promise soon dissipated as a result of Huddersfield's lack of craft in attack. Wolves looked a little more threatening, going close in the 26th minute when Diogo Jota played the ball across goal and Matt Doherty scuffed his effort into the side-netting.
Raul Jimenez then saw a header flash past the right-hand post just before the end of a generally dull first period.
There was not much of an improvement initially after the break, but Huddersfield did craft a glorious chance in the 58th minute — Mounie somehow heading into the side-netting from close range.
Wolves did not get so lucky in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, however. Lively substitute Aaron Mooy's cross was deflected to Karlan Grant, whose shot found its way to Mounie to bundle in from a few yards out, sparking scenes of elation at the John Smith's Stadium.
What does it mean? Siewert's nous and bravery pay off
The loss to Newcastle at the weekend saw Huddersfield picked apart at times, with Jonas Lossl kept immensely busy. On Tuesday, however, he had significantly less to do and Town appeared more rigid at the back. Siewert deserves praise for making eight changes and getting a response, while his positive substitutions certainly played a part in the winning goal.
Mounie gets his reward
Until the final stages of the match, it looked as though it was going to be a day to forget for Mounie. He wasted one glorious chance and saw another effort go just wide, but he continued plugging away, getting himself into good positions and that saw him get the crucial goal.
Jota fails to find the way through
Although he threatened on one occasion in the first half, Jota was generally disappointing. Huddersfield, for the most part, looked solid at the back, and it was the Portuguese midfielder's job to unlock it. He failed.
Key Opta facts
— Wolves has lost eight of its last nine away league matches against Huddersfield Town.
— 79 per cent (11/14) of the Premier League points won by Huddersfield this season have come against promoted teams — six vs Wolves, three vs Fulham and two vs Cardiff.
— Huddersfield is one of four sides that Nuno Espirito Santo has faced more than once as Wolves boss in all competitions without winning, along with Manchester City, Sunderland and Swansea City.
— Wolves has lost seven of its 12 Premier League matches against teams starting the day bottom.
What's next?
A trip to Brighton and Hove Albion awaits for Huddersfield on Saturday, while Wolves hosts fellow promoted side Cardiff City.
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