Wolves 2 Coventry City 1
MICHAEL Kightly showed his class as gutsy Wolves scrapped their way back to the top of the Championship table.
Fit-again Kightly's late first-half equaliser turned round this contest following Michael Mifsud's early strike.
And Kightly was then again heavily involved with Wolves' second-half winner, his shot being only half saved before Sylvan Ebanks-Blake controversially struck from close range for the winner.
But, after two successive defeats before the international break, Mick McCarthy's men again had to come from behind to do it.
And they needed a huge helping hand from the football rule book when Ebanks-Blake was allowed to come back onto the pitch to bundle home their scrappy winner from an offside position.
"I'm not saying the ref 's wrong," said Coleman. "But whoever made the rules are wrong.
"Ebanks-Blake came back onto the pitch to score - and that's ridiculous."
Coleman was backed by opposite number Mick McCarthy, who admitted: "We've had a bit of fortune today."
Whatever the arguments on that one, or the eight bookings fussy Premier League referee Steve Bennett saw fit to rack up from a typically combative local derby, there was no doubt about one thing.
Wolves were taken all the way by a competitive Coventry City side who probably deserved a point and showed just why they too had started the day in the top six.
With Ebanks-Blake and Kightly fit to return and Chris Iwelumo available again after suspension (and over his Hampden howler), McCarthy was always expected to make changes to the team that had lost for the second successive game on their last outing at Swansea a fortnight ago.
The only surprise was that, as part of McCarthy's reshuffle, as well as left-back George Friend and midfielder David Edwards, onloan Sunderland winger Carlos Edwards was the other one to get the chop.
It made little difference, though, as for the third time in as manygames, Wolves made a dreadful start, going a goal down inside six minutes.
Coventry had been forced into a change from the team who beat Southampton 4-1 last week, Mifsud coming in for the injured Leon McKenzie - and he made an almost instant impact.
A quick interchange of passes inside the Wolves box between Michael Doyle and the returning Eastwood released Mifsud - and the Maltese falcon's poaching talons were sharp enough to slip his first goal of the season under Carl Ikeme.
If Wolves were to get back in this game, it became rapidly clear that it was only going to be the on-fire Kightly who would do it.
After making one electric but unrewarded run to the by-line, Kightly then forced a smart save from Kieren Westwood with a stinging 20-yarder and was just off target from almost double that range.
But, after Ikeme had made another decent save to deny Mifsud and Richard Stearman's header had been cleared off the line by Doyle, Wolves got back on level terms three minutes before the break.
Andy Keogh's cross was met by Kightly, who chested down and rounded Westwood before keeping his cool to fire home from an acute angle.
Fired up, Wolves started off the second half looking the more likely to win it.
From Kevin Foley's deflected looping cross, Kightly tested Westwood again with a powerful header.
And then when, from Ebanks-Blake's short cross, Kightly tested Westwood again from close range, this time Wolves forced home their scrappy winner.
The Coventry keeper could only parry - and Ebanks-Blake, having somehow evaded the linesman's flag, was on hand to turn it from close almost on the goal-line.
What a response from the spirited Sky Blues, though, as they several times went close to an equaliser.
With Coventry boss Chris Coleman throwing a third big man forward in substitute Clinton Morrison, the chances suddenly started coming.
Admittedly, Iwelumo ended a bad week by having a goal incorrectly chalked off for offside - but it wasWolves who were clearly the more relieved of the two sides to hear the final whistle.
Morrison brought a finger-tip save from Ikeme, who then twice denied him again at point-blank range before Elliot Ward then missed his footing from close range.
It brought great credit to McCarthy, who had resisted any urge he might have had to bring back Hennessey in goal.
But McCarthy said: "How could anyone have been knocking on my door asking why they're playing.
"No, Carl Ikeme's in on merit and he's done really well again."
Wolves: (4-4-2): Ikeme; Foley, Stearman, Collins, Ward (Shackell 85); Kightly, Henry, David Jones, Keogh
(D Edwards 80); Ebanks-Blake (C Edwards 80), Iwelumo.
Subs: Hennessey (gk), Vokes, Shackell
Coventry: (4-4-2): Westwood; Osbourne, Ward, Dann , Fox; Tabb, Gunnarsson (Beuzelin 68), Doyle,
Mifsud (Morrison 68); Eastwood, Best.
Subs: Marshall (gk), Hall, Simpson
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