Wolves given Tonge lashing as Jones feels the heat

A week that started badly for Wolves, when they lost to Rotherham in the Worthington Cup, ended on an even worse note at Molineux with this defeat that was even more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests.

Six defeats in eight games for the boys from the Black Country gives an idea of their current disarray, and a mere four League points out of a possible 21 shows how far they have fallen from being on the brink of automatic promotion to the Premiership last season. Three goals for Sheffield United in the space of five minutes either side of half-time were enough to send Wolves into a state of shock from which there was no way back.

Their manager, Dave Jones, was not talking of irreparable damage afterwards, however, merely of a severe bout of soul-searching. He said: "We've got to be strong and show character. We have to dig ourselves out of this hole. We need to fight and scrap and that has to come from within. There are lots of characters in that dressing room.''

The United manager, Neil Warnock, admitted afterwards that he had missed the strike by Michael Tonge that brought the Blades back into the game deep into first-half injury-time.

They were trailing to Robert Ulla-thorne's own goal after 34 minutes when Tonge took advantage of a loose ball in the penalty area. But, fearing going further behind, Warnock had already left his dug-out when the Wolves defence was breached. He said: "The first 43 minutes were the worst football I have ever seen. I was just hoping we wouldn't go in 2-0 down. Then they came into the dressing room and I didn't know what they were so pleased about.''

Warnock's men took that improved attitude with them back on to the pitch, and within three minutes of the restart they had taken the lead. Clearly keen to atone for his earlier error, Ullathorne attacked down the left and whipped in a cross for Wayne Allison. Warnock joked later about Allison's age, but the striker showed he has few creaking bones by directing a powerful header past Matt Murray's dive.

Having rapidly gone from 1-0 up to 2-1 down, Wolves found themselves even further out of sorts two minutes later. With Denis Irwin hesitant at left-back, a cross came in from Robert Page which was not cleared and Tonge, the 19-year-old prospect on standby for the England Under-20 squad, lashed home from 14 yards, giving Murray, himself a recent England graduate at Under-21 level, no chance to save.

This win puts United in fifth place as they continue to confound expectations much in the same way as Wolves, pre-season favourites for promotion, are doing for quite different reasons. Warnock glowed: "They're the best set of lads I've managed for 10 years. They love to play and train, and that goes for the whole squad.''

Meanwhile, a downcast Jones was left to try to salvage something from the wreckage of a terrible few days. If he cannot turn Wolves around fast, fears will grow for his future with the club.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Ullathorne og 35

Sheffield United 3
Tonge 45, 50, Allison 48

Half-time: 1-1 Attendance: 24,625