Hi °C | Lo °C Luton town 1
Wolves 0
Wolves sacked their manager Stale Solbakken following yesterday's embarrassing FA Cup defeat to non-league Luton. The Championship side confirmed in a statement they had terminated the contracts of the Norwegian as well as assistant manager Johan Lange and first-team coach Patrick Weiser.
Solbakken's six-month reign at Molineux was an unqualified failure, with the newly-relegated club 18th in the table and now the victims of one of the biggest upsets of the third round.
Wolves have won just three of their last 16 league games and the club branded that streak as "a hugely disappointing run of performances and results." They have put Kevin Thelwell, head of football development and recruitment, in caretaker charge, assisted by development coach Steve Weaver.
Speaking after the match, Solbakken had said he was not "embarrassed" by the 1-0 defeat at Kenilworth Road and insisted he remained the man to "put it right" at the club. But Wolves bosses clearly took a different view and the club are now looking for their fourth boss in less than a year after the departure last February of Mick McCarthy and the brief tenure of Terry Connor.
Alex Lawless was the matchwinner for Luton with a well-taken volley within seconds of the start of the second half, ensuring the non-league side will be in the hat for today's fourth-round draw.
It was a deserved victory for the Hatters in front of a sell-out Kenilworth Road crowd, with 59 places separating the two sides in the football ladder.
Nervous Wolves fans went into the clash with memories of their embarrassing 1986 FA Cup exit to non-league Chorley at the forefront of their minds.
And after a positive start from Luton, who were pressing at every opportunity, it was clear the out-of-sorts visitors would be in for a tough afternoon.
Both sides enjoyed clear openings inside the first six minutes, JJ O'Donnell firing over from the edge of the penalty area before Kevin Doyle got in behind but could only send his effort just wide.
Bakary Sako flicked an effort off target for Wanderers before Luton were handed a golden opportunity in the 22nd minute. Wolverhampton-born Andre Gray, released by the Black Country club as a teenager, found himself clean through but, bearing down on Carl Ikeme, saw his effort well saved by the Wolves goalkeeper.
The lively Gray was fired up for the tie and created another opportunity moments later but could only blaze over from 12 yards.
Jon Shaw flashed a good chance across goal and out for a throw-in at the start of the second half, but it was from that throw which Luton notched what turned out to be the winner. Wolves made a mess of it and a cross was duly sent into the box, Shaw went up for header and the ball fell to Lawless who volleyed into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
The hosts were firmly on top, O'Donnell drilling over, but Wolves rode the storm and Christophe Berra nodded against the top of the bar at the other end.
Doyle headed straight at Tyler in the 63rd minute but Wolves, devoid of confidence and ideas, were failing to do enough. O'Donnell was stretchered off after receiving lengthy treatment following an accidental kick to the head by substitute Slawomir Peszko.
And despite nine minutes of injury time, during which Tyler tipped over from Jamie O'Hara, the Hatters ran out winners.
