Both teams made two changes from their last fixture, with Wolves boss Mick McCarthy dropping both Matt Jarvis and Richard Stearman and replacing them with Adlene Guedioura and Stephen Hunt as they looked to climb out of the relegation zone.
Roy Hodgson replaced Paul Scharner and Carlos Vela with Somen Tchoyi and Jerome Thomas from the team that defeated Aston Villa at the Hawthorns last Saturday, that seen the Baggies move further clear of the bottom three places in the Premier League.
The game started off scrappy; with both sides failing to find the final ball in order to test either goalkeeper, but Wolves looked the livelier, with the threat of relegation hanging over the Molineux side.
On the quarter of an hour mark, the game sparked into life, firstly with Martin Olsson, who fouled Stephen Ward on the edge of the West Brom penalty area. That allowed Jamie O’Hara to drill a free kick which Scott Carson had to palm out for a corner.
The corner arrived on the chest of Guedioura, who was free inside the West Brom area and the midfielder found Fletcher, who smashed the ball home from six yards out to send the home fans wild with delight at the opener.
Wolves then continued to press on, looking for a second goal, with firstly Guedioura coming close with a free kick from the left hand side of the box that went just over Carson’s bar and out for a goal kick.
Then Ward was caught offside by the assistant referee after O’Hara found the striker with a delightful cross from the left wing.
The home side went two goals ahead, with a carbon copy from the first strike, as Hunt drove another corner from the left hand side, this time it landed at the head of Fletcher and the Scot then found Guedioura, who drilled the ball home to double the home side’s lead.
Ten minutes before the half time whistle, Wolves could have scored a third, again from a corner, this time from the right hand side. The ball was curled in by O’Hara, right onto the head of Fletcher, but unfortunately the striker could not divert the ball on target.
West Brom created their first real chance of the game just before the half time break as Peter Odemwingie raced in from the right hand side, beating a couple of players before striking just beyond Wayne Hennessey’s post to leave the Baggies trailing by two goals at the end of the half.
The home side continued their derby day dominance as a long ball from Kevin Foley was missed, completely by Abdoulaye Meite and allowed Fletcher to race in on goal and coolly slot the ball by Carson for his second of the game.
Hodgson’s side, stung by the third goal, attempt to find a way back into the game, with Thomas having a strike from the edge of the area, which Hennessey dealt with comfortably, then James Morrison also had an effort which was deflected for a corner.
Minutes later they did get one back as Thomas went down inside the box, under a challenge from Guedioura and referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot and booked the Wolves midfielder. That allowed Odemwingie to step up an place the ball into the corner of the net.
Guedioura nearly made up for his mistake as he once again got on the end of a Hunt corner, but his header could not find the back of the net, or the onrushing Fletcher, who was looking to claim his hat-trick.
West Brom should have cut the deficit to one on the hour mark as Morison twist and turned on the by line before crossing for Simon Cox, who’s header had to be beaten away by Hennessey in the Wolves goal in order to keep his side’s two goal lead.
With the home side looking more and more nervous, the Baggies looked to take advantage as Somen Tchoyi raced in towards goal, before finding Thomas who then smashed the ball off the bar and away from danger.
Hodgson, in search of the goals to get back into the game decided to take off a defender, Gonzalo Jara and replaced him with former Celtic striker Marc-Antoine Fortune, as the Baggies looked to take something from the Black Country derby.
The visitors had another chance to get back into the game, as Tchoyi found himself in acres of space, with the ball coming to him form the right hand side, but the Cameroonian midfielder could not divert his header on target.
With less than ten minutes left Wolves should have sealed all three points as Ward collected the ball midway into the West Brom half, before chipping over the onrushing defender, then as he made his way into the box he screwed his shot wide of Carson’s left hand post.
The home side managed to hold on and secure a vital three points that sees them escape the relegation zone, at the bottom of the Premier League, after their fans had to suffer through five minutes of injury time.   Â
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Wolves 3-1 West Brom: Steven Fletcher double settles vital derby clash as hosts stride out of relegation zone