ZOLTAN Gera went from Black Country derby zero to hero as his 59th-minute winner fired Albion two points clear at the top.
The Magic Magyar erased memories of his nightmare last-gasp penalty miss in November's goalless draw against Wanderers at The Hawthorns thanks to his ninth goal of the season.
The Baggies should have won the Molineux encounter at a canter, especially after a first-half in which Wayne Hennessey was by far the busier keeper - making saves from Ishmael Miller, James Morrison and Neil Clement.
And, after Gera and Kevin Phillips hit the woodwork in the 13th and 58th minutes respectively, it looked like the visitors would never make the breakthrough.
But Gera's strike and two late saves by Dean Kiely ensured the honours went to the blue-and-white side of the derby divide.
Tony Mowbray named an unchanged side for the first time in four months and Mick McCarthy also stuck with the same XI.
The Baggies started well and carved out the first real chance in the fourth minute when Gera swung in a cross from the right.
Miller got on the end of it but sent his 15-yard header onto the roof of the net when he should at least have hit the target.
Five minutes later, a quick Gera throw-in down the right found Carl Hoefkens who cut the ball back for Miller.
The powerhouse striker spun Jody Craddock before firing in a low left-foot effort which Wayne Hennessey gathered comfortably.
The hosts earned some respite from the early Baggies pressure when they threatened for the first time in the 11th minute.
Matt Jarvis broke free down the left and centred for Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who headed over with the goal at his mercy from 12 yards out.
Two minutes later, Albion came within inches of snatching the lead when Gera stole in at the near post and headed against the angle of post and bar from Jonathan Greening's right-wing free-kick.
Albion continued to push forward and, in the 16th minute, Gera flashed a low free-kick across the face of goal, with Phillips just a whisker away from touching it home.
A minute later, the visitors kept the ball superbly in the left-hand corner and Miller spun Neil Collins in the penalty area before seeing his effort on goal parried by Hennessey and into the path of Phillips.
But the former England man just could not take the pace off the ball to guide it home at the back post and his header went out for a goal-kick.
The usually unflappable Paul Robinson almost gifted Wanderers the lead in the 24th minute when he dallied on the ball on the edge of his own area and allowed Michael Gray to rob him.
The former Sunderland winger cut inside and fired a low drive straight at Dean Kiely.
Seconds later, Ebanks-Blake raced clear down the right and Albion needed Leon Barnett to make a vital last-ditch clearance to prevent Seyi Olofinjana having a clear sight of goal.
Wolves were now enjoying a mini purple patch and a massive goalmouth scramble ensued from Jarvis' right-wing corner in the 32nd minute.
After Craddock saw his goalbound shot blocked, another two Wolves follow-ups were also bravely diverted away from goal by Albion defenders.
Barnett eventually cleared his penalty area and the Baggies broke swiftly, with Miller threading Morrison through the middle.
The ex-Middlesbrough midfielder beat Kevin Foley before letting fly with a 12-yard, left-foot strike which Hennessey did well to beat out.
Clement's free-kick expertise came to the fore two minutes before the break when he curled in an effort which was dipping under the crossbar until Hennessey pulled off a top-class, one-handed save.
Greening played the excellent Morrison clean through in the second minute of first-half stoppage time and he looked certain to score.
But the wet weather was making the Molineux pitch tricky to play on and the ball held up in the surface water to prevent the Baggies winger getting his shot away quickly enough.
Foley managed to block his effort and the ball rebounded to Miller, who curled a right-foot shot high and wide of the far post.
Albion trudged off the pitch at half-time wondering how they were not ahead.
Mowbray made a change at half-time, with 17-goal Roman Bednar replacing 16-goal Miller.
The first chance of the second period fell to the hosts in the 52nd minute when Gray could not stretch enough to guide his back-post effort from Jarvis' cross on target.
But Albion soon regained control and a flowing 58th-minute move resulted in Phillips' skidding shot from the right-hand edge of the penalty area smashing off the base of the left-hand post.
Just a minute later, Albion finally made the breakthrough their dominance had deserved.
Phillips beat the offside trap to superbly bring down Clement's long ball.
The Championship's top scorer skipped past ex-Sunderland team-mate Craddock before squaring across the box for Gera to slide the ball home.
Morrison was in the thick of the action again in the 63rd minute when he drilled a long-range effort just over.
Kiely made his first real save of the game four minutes later when he dived to his left to beat out Darron Gibson's sweetly-struck 25-yard shot.
Albion were now hunting a killer second goal and Hennessey almost allowed Gera's low right-wing cross to squirm free in the 69th minute but just managed to gather before Bednar could pounce.
The Baggies were rarely in trouble as the clock ticked away, despite Wolves pumping plenty of balls into their box.
And once Kiely had saved from Olofinjana at the foot of his left-hand post, the points were in the bag.
WOLVES (4-4-2): Hennessey; Foley (Kyle 82), Collins, Craddock, Elokobi; Jarvis, Gibson, Olofinjana, Gray (Eastwood 75); Keogh, Ebanks-Blake. Subs not used: Stack (gk), Breen, Potter.
ALBION (4-4-2): Kiely; Hoefkens, Barnett, Clement, Robinson; Gera, Koren, Greening, Morrison (Moore 90+1); Phillips (Pele 85), Miller (Bednar HT). Subs not used: Martis, Brunt.
GOALS: ALBION - Gera (59).
BOOKINGS: WOLVES - Elokobi (foul 84). ALBION - Greening (ungentlemanly conduct 87).
REFEREE: M Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).
ATTENDANCE: 27,883.
ALBION STARMAN: James Morrison.
PIC: TOP GERA...Zoltan celebrates his derby winner with Robert Koren
