Wolves 1 Chelsea 0

Wolves soared into dreamland after stunning champions Chelsea with a deserved victory at Molineux on a night when everything went right for Mick McCarthy's side.

Jose Bosingwa's fifth minute own goal saw Wolves climb out of the drop zone for the first time since October 2 as Villa, Wigan and West Ham were all beaten to now occupy the bottom three.

Victory for Wolves was their fourth in seven and their first over Chelsea in the top flight since thrashing them 7-1 in 1975.

But it was typically hard-fought by McCarthy's battlers, who chased and harried the double winners in the same manner as they did to beat Liverpool seven days earlier and clinch a rare treble after beating Manchester City earlier in the season.

Chelsea had their chances and goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey brilliantly diverted away an effort from Salomon Kalou, who also fired wide, while Didier Drogba hit the post, while Florent Malouda also shot off target on the angle.

But Wolves played a full part and saw winger Stephen Hunt hit the angle of bar and post with a free kick.

The goal was as freakish as the result.

Hunt's inswinging corner got the slightest touch off George Elokobi at the near post and it took a few replays before it was discovered Portuguese right-back Bosingwa got the final touch ahead of Steven Fletcher on the line.

It was the first goal Wolves had scored against Chelsea in four games since February 2004, when Jody Craddock briefly put them 2-1 ahead before they lost 5-2.

As hinted at by manager Mick McCarthy yesterday, Kevin Doyle was recalled to the attack after missing the last four games with a torn thigh.

But McCarthy sprung another two shocks by dropping the strikeforce that gunned down Liverpool, as Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Stephen Ward dropped to the bench and Nenad Milijas also made way for the recall of David Edwards in midfield.

Fletcher, who had been richly praised recently for his form in training by McCarthy, was making his first Premier League start since October 15 but soon settled back in, despite this being the first time they had started together as a pairing in the league.

Wolves contained Chelsea, who seemed rocked in their stride by the early goal and it took some time for Carlo Ancelotti's side to get into any sort of rhythm as the hosts hassled them out of their stride, just as they did Liverpool a week earlier.

McCarthy's battlers had the next effort on goal after Ronald Zubar summed up the never-say-die spirit about Wolves by chasing Ashley Cole down and dispossessing him before feeding Doyle for a disappointing angled finish.

Wolves had a major escape in the 29th minute thanks to the reflexes of Hennessey.

The ball failed to come down quickly enough for Richard Stearman and Malouda nipped for a quick cross stabbed goalwards by the sliding Kalou, only for Hennessey, who was going the wrong way, to stick out his right leg and prevent a certain goal.

Two minutes later, John Terry volleyed over with Hennessey committed after punching away a cross following Chelsea's fifth corner.

That apart, Wolves had little trouble hanging onto their lead until half-time.

Chelsea looked to make an immediate breakthrough following the restart, but Cole's angled drive drew a comfortable falling save from Hennessey following Malouda's pass.

But Wolves had a let-off in the 53rd minute when Kalou fired wide from a tight angle, after Frank Lampard's brilliant backheel left him in the clear.

That only seemed to spur on the home side, as they continued to drive at Chelsea and hassle them out of their stride.

However, the visitors remained a threat whenever they ventured forward and went close again when Drogba hit the base of the post with a shot on the turn.

Yet Wolves weren't to be outdone and, after replacing strikers Doyle and Fletcher in the 70th minute for Ward and Ebanks-Blake, the impressive Hunt clipped the angle of post and bar from a curling free kick 22 yards out.

But, from the resulting goal kick, Wolves' hearts were in the mouths, as Malouda managed to hold off Berra to leave himself with only Hennessey to beat from a tight angle but, thankfully for the hosts, his shot trickled wide.

Right at the end of normal time, Hennessey was forced to race from his area to slide at the feet of substitute Nicolas Anelka after a careless pass by substitute Nenad Milijas fell short of the inspired Elokobi.

But it was to be Wolves' night – and what a glorious one it was.