Hee-Chan Hwang and Toti Gomes scored in either half as Wolverhampton Wanderers held firm to secure a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Luton Town at Molineux on Saturday.
An impressive run of results between December and February saw Wolverhampton Wanderers surge into the top half of the table and even move within touching distance of the European qualifying plane.
However, Gary O'Neil's men quickly ran out of steam, failing to win any of their seven games heading into the weekend, a run which saw them crash out of the FA Cup courtesy of a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Coventry City in the quarter-finals on March 16.
Luton Town came into the weekend in search of a potentially-vital victory as they looked to climb out of the relegation zone and take a giant step towards securing their top-flight status.
The Hatters were on a two-game losing streak, suffering back-to-back losses against Manchester City and Brentford and had failed to win 14 of their last 15 matches across all competitions since the start of February.
Despite fellow strugglers Everton and Nottingham Forest being hit points deductions this season, Rob Edwards's side journeyed to Molineux in 18th place in the Premier League standings, one point behind Nottingham Forest just outside the relegation zone.
Luton Town kicked off the game with intent, with former England international Ross Barkley forcing Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Jose Sa into a low save inside the opening five minutes.
Wolves responded moments later with a chance of their own, with Mario Lemina playing in Hwang with a brilliant pass, but the 28-year-old failed to make the net ripple as he fired his shot straight at Thomas Kaminski between the sticks for Luton.
The visitors' biggest chance of the half fell into the laps of club captain Carlton Morris in the 39th minute after the Englishman was found with a delightful cross but he could only steer his header straight at Sa from 10 yards out.
Edwards's men were made to rue that chance just 19 seconds later as Hwang broke the deadlock, this time getting the better of Kaminski with a low strike to the bottom corner.
The South Korea international made a smart run down the left of the Luton box after a brilliant play from Matheus Cunha before cutting on to his right and drilling home the opener.
Hwang's 39th-minute strike saw him break a four-month goal drought, with his last goal coming on December 27 when he scored a brace to fire Wolves to a 4-1 victory over Brentford.
Building on the momentum from the opening goal, the hosts picked up where they left off in the first half, as defender Toti netted the second of the game 10 minutes into the restart.
Nelson Semedo came close to extending Wolves when he failed to beat Kaminski in a one-on-one situation before Luton pulled one back in the 80th-minute courtesy of a volley from Morris.
While the Hatters threw in the kitchen sink in search of a late equaliser, O'Neil's men held their own through six minutes of stoppage time to pick up all three points in front of their home supporters.
For Wolves, this win has seen them strengthen their stake for a top-half finish as they now sit 10th in the Premier League table with 46 points from 35 games, just one point behind ninth-placed Chelsea.
Luton Town, on the other hand, continue to languish in the relegation zone and could fall four points away from safety should Nottingham Forest prevail in their battle with title-chasing Manchester City on Sunday.
Joshua Ojele
