Two goals of a quality befitting a higher division gave Wolves victory over Sheffield United as the hosts stamped their authority on yet another Championship promotion contender.

A long-range beauty from Rúben Neves and a team move finished by Diogo Jota gave Wolves a comfortable half-time lead. The dismissal of the United goalkeeper, Simon Moore, with 15 minutes to go, followed by a third goal from the resultant free-kick, merely rubbed salt into the visitors’ wounds. They were game but the Blades were thoroughly outclassed.

There was a big-match atmosphere inside Molineux led by a raucous Sir Jack Hayward stand and Wolves immediately rose to the occasion. In the fifth minute Conor Coady played a pass from centre-half that found Ivan Cavaleiro on the left wing. He cut inside, forcing George Baldock into a blocking challenge, and the loose ball rolled to a waiting Neves. The Portugal midfielder promptly wrapped his cultured right boot around it and curled a perfect shot into the top right corner of the net.

It was a goal of real quality and yet on the half-hour, Wolves trumped it. Again the move involved Cavaleiro, the winger driving on the ball through the centre of the field before playing it to the right. A short series of passes ended with Matt Doherty picking his cross, low to Jota on the penalty spot. The forward feigned to shoot, instead hit a cheeky short pass to Cavaleiro, advanced on to the return ball and tucked home his 12th league goal of the season. It was a bit tasty.

“It was a good performance, a good result and a good crowd,” said the Wolves manager, Nuno Espírito Santo. “The boys enjoyed the game. We were able to control them, play football. It’s a good result and a good crowd. The second goal put us ahead in the game. It was important to achieve that, the production of the team needed a goal to finish the game and that’s why I was happy about it.”

United had kicked off in a 3-5-2 formation, with the 30-year-old Ricky Holmes – making his debut at this level after his move from Charlton – playing in the hole. At half‑time, Chris Wilder shook up his formation to 4-4-2, with Chris Basham stepping into midfield and Holmes pulling wide. It brought them back into the game in terms of possession but also back into the familiar position of pushing at Wolves without seeing any rewards for their endeavour.

Wilder said it was his intention to stay in the match but with a quarter of an hour remaining, it slipped away from United. Diogo, chasing down a long ball, was clumped with a high foot by an onrushing Moore. The goalkeeper was swiftly dismissed and the first thing his replacement, Jake Eastwood, had to do was pick Cavaleiro’s deflected free-kick out of the net.

The scorer was then promptly substituted and replaced by Benik Afobe, making his second debut for the club after his loan move back from Bournemouth.

“No doubt about it, we were beaten by the better side,” Wilder said. “The quality of the first goal set a marker for the match. They’re a fantastic side and they’ve done that to other teams just as much as they’ve done it to us.

“You look at the quality on the field and the quality they have on the bench and it’s not surprising. But for us, we were told this was going to happen to us every week when we came up. But this is 3 February and it’s the first time it’s happened.”

With Derby winning 3-0 at home to Brentford, Wolves remain 11 points clear at the top of the Championship but in reality they are as far away from their competition as Manchester City are in the division above them. The quality of their football and plethora of attacking options suggest Nuno’s team will not be frightened if – and almost certainly when – they make the step to the top flight.