Jorgen Strand Larsen last scored for Wolves in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur on 29 December
Jorgen Strand Larsen scored twice as Wolves moved nine points clear of the Premier League's bottom three with victory over beleaguered Southampton at St Mary's.
Seeking only their third top-flight win of the season, the home side started on the front foot but fell behind after Wolves' first attempt of the game – a Strand Larsen header which beat the dive of Saints goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Chances were few and far between for the rest of the first half but Strand Larsen doubled the visitors' lead just after the break with a low drive into the bottom corner – a goal which prompted some Southampton fans to make for the exits.
Half-time substitute Paul Onuachu pulled a goal back for Saints after Tyler Dibling's shot came back off the post, but Wolves survived the final 15 minutes to claim an important three points.
Southampton become only the fourth side in English top-flight history to lose nine consecutive home games in the same season, after Birmingham in 1985-86, Wolves in 2011-12 and Watford in 2021-22.
They remain on nine points – two fewer than Derby's record Premier League low and 17 adrift of Vitor Pereira's Wolves, whose position in the table is far less precarious than it was this time last month.
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After a run of four straight league defeats in January, Wolves have now picked up 10 points from their last six matches to give themselves a comfortable cushion over the bottom three.
They were on the back foot in the early stages at St Mary's but managed to get their noses in front courtesy of Strand Larsen's eighth goal of the season – and his first since the 2-2 draw at Tottenham on 29 December.
After doubling their lead so soon after half-time, Pereira will be frustrated his side couldn't inflict further damage on their hosts as the second half wore on.
They had plenty of opportunities to do so, Joao Gomes firing wide after being left unmarked in the penalty area and Pablo Sarabia failing to get a shot away at the end of a swift counter-attack.
Onuachu's effort moments later made for a much nervier finish than Pereira and his players might have been expecting and the final whistle was met by cheers of relief by the visiting fans.
The victory stretches Wolves' winning top-flight run over Southampton to seven games – their longest since beating Burnley seven times in a row between 1974 and 2018.
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Southampton's Premier League fate is surely sealed - but they made a bright start against Wolves despite lining up without a recognised striker.
Yukinari Sugawara – one of three players back in the side after last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Liverpool – was particularly lively early on and almost set up Kamaldeen Sulemana for the opener after just seven minutes but the forward was unable to make proper contact with the wing-back's low delivery.
Strand Larsen's first of the afternoon was a moment to forget for goalkeeper Ramsdale, who appeared to have plenty of time to get at least one hand to the Norwegian's effort but seemed to misjudge the trajectory of the ball.
Ivan Juric's decision to withdraw Mateus Fernandes at half-time was greeted by chants of "you don't know what you're doing" from the home supporters, who burst into boos when Strand Larsen took advantage of Saints retreating defence to find the far corner.
Onuachu's close-range finish offered a glimmer of hope but there were more boos at full-time as Juric's team slumped to a 24th league defeat in 29 games.
New technical director Johannes Spors has praised the Croatian for "stabilising difficult environments" since replacing Russell Martin in the St Mary's hotseat in December, but whether he stays at the club beyond the summer remains to be seen.
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