Wolves and Aston Villa will renew their rivalry once again on Saturday, with plenty of memorable fixtures taking place over the years.
Gary O’Neil faces another big test in the Premier League on the weekend as the Old Gold prepare to face down Champions League outfit Villa.
Over recent years, the two clubs have completely swapped places. Only a few years back Wolves were competing for Europe while Villa were fighting relegation.
However, going into Saturday’s fixture, Wolves are searching for their first victory of the Premier League season while Villa have just come off the back of a 3-0 victory in the Champions League.
With optimism for the game low from the Old Gold camp, Molineux News has listed Wolves’ three most memorable victories against Villa which O’Neil may be able to take inspiration from.
Aston Villa 0-1 Wolves – March 2011
Back in the 2010/11 campaign, Wolves were once again in a relegation battle. It was the club’s second successive season in the Premier League under Mick McCarthy, but the Old Gold were unable to build on the previous campaign’s 15th-place finish.
However, going into the fixture at Villa Park, Wolves were on good form. The club had picked up five points out of a possible nine, which included a late equaliser against Spurs in a 3-3 draw in their previous fixture.
Therefore, optimism was high and there was a real belief that McCarthy could pick up Wolves’ first victory at Villa Park in over three decades.
During the match, Wolves were unlucky not to be ahead beforehand after Matt Jarvis saw two goals disallowed.
However, the England international did not give up and eventually netted what was the winner after 38 minutes.
The victory proved to be vital in keeping Wolves in the division and they went on to stay up on the final day.
Read more: Wolves’ greatest-ever victories in the Fosun era ranked.
Wolves 2-0 Aston Villa – October 2017
Back down in the Championship, Wolves were on a roll during the 2017/18 campaign.
Under Nuno Espirito Santo, the Old Gold sat second in the division, aiming to finally take the top spot.
Villa, who had struggled to adapt to life in the second tier since their relegation in 2016, were aiming to get into the playoffs.
However, Wolves dominated their rivals, with now Old Gold ‘keeper Sam Johnstone keeping the Villains in the match.
Eventually, Diogo Jota found a breakthrough after his quick turn allowed him to fire in an opener.
Jota almost had a second when a sensational run saw him deep inside Villa’s half before the ball deflected to Leo Bonatini for Wolves’ second.
The hosts almost added a third late on but Johnstone was able to save Jota’s shot off the line as Nuno’s men marched to the top of the Championship.
Aston Villa 2-3 Wolves – October 2021
Bruno Lage went to Villa Park looking for his third league victory in a row after dismantling Southampton and Newcastle at the start of his Wolves tenure.
However, it seemed as if the visitors were heading towards a defeat after Danny Ings and John McGinn put Villa 2-0 up.
Yet, Wolves did not give up. Romain Saiss managed to pull a goal back in the 80th minute as he slid the ball into the net.
Conor Coady then netted the equaliser five minutes later as he bundled the ball across the line late on.
Yet, Wolves weren’t done yet. A last-gasp free-kick from Ruben Neves deflected into the net in the 95th minute to complete a sensational comeback and give the travelling supporters a memorable victory.