Rooted to the foot of the table knowing that their fate is all but sealed, Southampton played with plenty of freedom early on, starting positively and causing their visitors some issues.
Their first-half highlight came from the right flank, where Yukinari Sugawara drilled a dangerous low ball into the box, looking to pick out Kamaldeen Sulemana, who was unable to make first contact as the ball was cut out.
For all their endeavour, Southampton soon found themselves in a familiar trailing position, conceding against the run of play when Jorgen Strand Larsen made the most of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s whipped cross, heading home virtually unchallenged.
That goal seemed to knock the Saints off their stride, carrying that deficit into the half-time break knowing that they had previously claimed just one league point from losing positions this season.
Playing without the suspended Matheus Cunha, it didn’t take long for Wolves to add to their advantage following the restart.
Once again, Bellegarde teed up Strand Larsen, but this time, the target man collected the ball at his feet at the edge of the box, placing a low shot beyond Aaron Ramsdale.
A direct run from Sugawara resulted in an on-target effort being pushed over by Jose Sa, with Southampton unwilling to accept defeat just yet.
Their hopes of an unlikely comeback were almost dealt a sizable blow when Joao Gomes stroked narrowly wide from inside the area, but that miss opened the door for the Saints, who pulled a goal back 15 minutes from time.
A nice run from Tyler Dibling resulted in an effort that cannoned off the far post, allowing substitute Paul Onuachu to tap home the rebound.
Ultimately, the Southampton equaliser never materialised, handing them a fifth league defeat in succession, with Derby County’s unenviable Premier League-low points tally of 11 still to be eclipsed.
For Wolves, this could prove to be an enormous boost in their hunt for survival, staying 17th but increasing their lead over 18th-placed Ipswich Town thanks to their defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Wolverhampton Wanderers)