Wolves bounced back from a poor run of form to condemn managerless Stoke to defeat with two superbly taken second-half goals.
The visitors, who had lost five of their previous six games, had to battle hard to contain Stoke in a keenly contested first half but laid siege to the home side goal after the break as they looked for a much-needed win.
Wolves boss Dave Jones praised his side for their efforts in securing the win.
"It was a tough game in difficult circumstances and I thought it was three points well earned," he said. "We took control of the game in the second half and worked hard for the win."
It was in fact Stoke who got the ball in the net first when Andy Cooke forced it over the line after keeper Matt Murray failed to hold a shot from James O'Connor in the 32nd minute only to have the effort disallowed for offside.
Stoke went close just a minute before half time when Dutch international forward Peter Hoekstra fired in a fierce drive which forced Murray into a fine save.
But after the break it was virtually one-way traffic as Wolves piled on the pressure.
Colin Cameron blasted over from 12 yards a minute into the second period, before Alex Rae was denied a goal by keeper Neil Cutler who produced a super save.
Then a corner from Rae saw Kenny Miller get in a shot only to see the effort deflected wide by Brynjar Gunnarsson.
Minutes later Miller set up a chance for fellow front-runner Nathan Blake but his shot was blocked by centre half Sergei Shtaniuk.
Wolves got the breakthrough 12 minutes from time when Blake set up a chance for Cameron, who was playing his first game after suffering a knee injury. He took the pass, dodged past two challenges and fired the ball past Cutler.
Wolves sealed their victory in the 90th minute when Denis Irwin found Blake just outside the area and he shielded the ball before firing the ball into the bottom corner.
Stoke caretaker manager Dave Kevan said: "Neither side got a grip in the first half but after the break Wolves looked the stronger and probably the more likely to win. The departure of Steve Cotterill had no effect on today's result."