The only thing that can stop Crystal Palace right now is the end of the season.
This win at Molineux was more perfunctory than Monday night’s four-goal exhibition against Manchester United but the performance was imbued with the same energy and optimism.
Michael Olise scored again and played a key role in setting up the other two for Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze, a devastating and in-tune trio Wolves struggled to contain.
‘He’s just too good for you,’ chanted the Palace fans as Wolves resorted again to crude tactics to prevent Olise sprinting clear down the right flank during the second-half.
Olise’s spectacular curling effort – after his double against United – took him to double figures for the season, while Mateta now has 16 and Eze nine.
Eberechi Eze (right) was on the scoresheet as Crystal Palace beat Wolves 3-1 on Saturday
The Eagles scored two goals in two minutes inside the first-half to take control of the game
Oliver Glasner’s side have now won five of their last six Premier League matches
Oliver Glasner’s side are finishing the season on a high note with five wins from six now – in contrast to Wolves, who’ll be grateful they gathered enough early points to preclude relegation concerns.
But the reply of the home fans to that chant was instructive. ‘You’ll never see him again,’ they mocked and for all Glasner will have grand designs for next season, interest from elsewhere in Olise, plus Eze and Mateta, is inevitable.
Some tough decisions may have to be made behind the scenes at Selhurst Park but if Glasner can keep most of his talents, there appears no reason Palace can’t challenge for Europe next season.
Wolves briefly threatened to rally after Matheus Cunha cut the deficit to one but Eze broke clear to score a few minutes later and the hosts were second-best anyway.
Back in August, plenty would have foreseen this penultimate fixture as being potentially decisive in the relegation battle.
So it is to the credit of both Wolves and Palace that it was little more than mid-table playing out.
Nonetheless, the way teams finish a season can set the mood for the entire summer and these two approached this one with contrasting feelings.
Gary O’Neil’s Wolves had won just one of their last nine games dating back to the heart-breaking FA Cup defeat to Coventry that killed their season.
Little wonder, then, that the visitors from south London bossed the first-half with two of their most reliable goalscorers on target again.
The early loss of Will Hughes to injury didn’t throw Palace off their stride and the chances soon started to flow.
Eze rolled a shot wide at the near post after Mario Lamina had been bumped off the ball in a dangerous position and Olise really should have done better when he dragged wide from an unmarked position 12 yards out.
But the scourge of Erik ten Hag on Monday night quickly atoned and in typically eye-catching fashion.
Palace buzzed around the Wolves box until Adam Wharton picked it up on the right, gave Olise the ball on the corner of the area and invited him to make something of it.
Rayan Ait-Nouri and Boubacar Traore weren’t quite sure of Olise’s intentions as a decoy runner ran past on the overlap and that hesitation was all the winger needed.
After four touches to set himself, Olise curled an immaculate left-footed shot with enough curl to beat Dan Bentley and find the far corner.
Jean-Philippe Mateta continued his rich vein of goalscoring form with a fine finish
Michael Olise opened the scoring with a tremendous strike from outside the Wolves box
His celebration was so understated as to be non-existent, as if he can do this kind of thing in his sleep.
Three minutes later and Palace had real control. Olise was inevitably involved again, holding the ball up and waiting for Nathaniel Clyne to steam forward on the underlap from right-back.
Waiting for the right moment, Olise dinked a pass into Clyne, who’d got in behind Lemina and Toti. Clyne spun and slammed a shot off the upright, the ball falling ideally for Mateta to fire into an empty net before anyone in old gold could react.
With Molineux unsettled, Wolves tried to respond and Matt Doherty did bounce a header from Ait-Nouri’s deep cross against the Palace bar, but that didn’t stop the half-time boos.
Glasner was a bundle of energy in the away technical area, turning to his coaching staff in animated fashion whenever something went wrong.
But he applauded the intent of Naouirou Ahamada’s driving run early in the second-half, even if his shot was wasteful with Eze in space to his left.
It was very much against the general run of play when Cunha scored to offer Wolves a route back into the contest, with a helping hand from VAR.
Cunha’s finish at the climax of a neat passing move was initially disallowed with Hwang Hee-chan flagged offside in the build-up. It looked tight and replays showed the South Korean was actually behind the last defender.
Matheus Cunha grabbed a consolation goal for Wolves following a lengthy VAR check
Gary O’Neil’s side, meanwhile, have won just one of their last five Premier League games
That cranked up the Molineux noise but Wolves joy was short-lived as Eze skipped around Bentley before finishing clinically after Olise had supplied the perfect through ball and Eze just managed to stay onside.
Wolves responded well, with Henderson tested by Pablo Sarabia and then Lemina.
The hosts thought they had a penalty when Ahamada fouled Cunha near the byline. Initially given by Tom Bramall, VAR decided the contact was outside the box.
That didn’t spare Ahamada an early bath, having been booked a few minutes earlier, but the penalty overturn denied Wolves the grandstand finale they wanted.
