Wolverhampton Wanderers’ impressive adaptation to life in the Premier League continues to gather momentum as Raúl Jiménez scored the only goal of a one-sided game to secure their first top-flight home victory since December 2011, back in the days when Mick McCarthy was in charge and the Midlands club were destined to be relegated in humiliating fashion.

How times have changed. Backed by the wealth of the Fosun group, their ambitious Chinese owners, and aided by Jorge Mendes’s contacts book, Wolves have put together quite a team and, on the evidence so far, will be doing much more than making up the numbers this season. They are the only side to have taken points off Manchester City and are now up to ninth place in the table after a win that was far more comfortable than the scoreline suggests.

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Burnley, who are enduring a miserable run that stretches back to last season, were outplayed and outclassed for long periods, and on another day could have taken a hiding. Sean Dyche talked afterwards about the need “to lift the fog” that has descended on his team, who have now won only five of their last 26 Premier League matches and lost the last four.

To put Wolves’ superiority into context, they registered 30 shots to Burnley’s seven, leaving home manager Nuno Espírito Santo, the home manager, throwing his arms around in despair on the touchline at times as so many chances to put the game to bed were squandered.

Burnley’s goalkeeper Joe Hart deserves credit for keeping the score down by making a few instinctive saves but generally Wolves only had themselves to blame for failing to turn their dominance into goals.

The sight of Léo Bonatini missing a simple opportunity deep into injury time, when the substitute shot wide with the goal yawning invitingly, summed up Wolves’ finishing.

It would be unfair, though, to dwell too much on their profligacy in front of goal, especially when there is so much to enjoy about the way this Wolves team plays.

With Helder Costa and Diogo Jota providing craft and penetration on the flanks, and Rúben Neves and João Moutinho passing the ball intelligently in central midfield, Wolves are blessed with so much creativity. Throw the pace of Adama Traoré into the mix too – the club-record signing caused havoc when he came off the bench – and it is clear that Wolves will be quite a handful this season.

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The only question hanging over them at the start of the campaign was whether they had a centre-forward who was good enough to take advantage of that supply line.

Jiménez, who signed on a season-long loan from Benfica, has not been a prolific goalscorer in the past but he now has two in his first five games for the club.

The Mexican was rewarded for his persistence against Burnley. Hart and James Tarkowski, who headed off the line, denied him in the first half and a golden opportunity was wasted early in the second period when Jiménez lifted the ball over the bar after Jota pounced on Phil Bardsley’s poor backpass. Jiménez accepted his next chance, though, when he guided a low right-footed shot in off the far post, after Matt Doherty had burst into the area and cut the ball back.

In a role reversal, Doherty should have added a second 15 minutes from time when he swapped passes with Jiménez and continued his run, only to drag his shot well wide with only Hart to beat. Bonatini, on for Jiménez, then wasted several excellent chances that could have been costly on another day.

“We’re going to work on finding this final touch,” Espirito Santo said. “But I think the most important thing from the first game is we are improving.”

Burnley are unable to say the same. Apart from the substitute Matej Vydra’s angled volley, which was deflected narrowly wide, they created next to nothing against Wolves and that will be the biggest concern for Dyche.

“The positive for us is that we looked much more like ourselves defensively in terms of blocks and the keeper played great. But that’s the only thing I can pick out really, because offensively we were nowhere near it,” the Burnley manager said. “We gave the ball away so many times, in so many cheap positions, and you can’t do that. But credit to them, they’re a good side.”