Wolves secured back-to-back wins to move into third in the Championship and calm some of the criticism directed at manager Cesar Peixoto as Cardiff City's winless away run continued.

Goals from Fer Lopez and Adam Armstrong inside the first 15 minutes gave Wolves the comfort they needed before defender Ladislav Krejci made it a hat-trick of headers with a set-piece goal before the hour mark.

Peixoto, who had been criticised by sections of the Wolves support in recent weeks, now sees his side move to within two points of the automatic promotion places.

And despite Cardiff asking more questions after the break, they could not stop it becoming three wins from four for the Old Gold - and four without loss since suffering consecutive defeats to Middlesbrough and Bolton at the start of the month.

Cardiff, meanwhile, drop to 18th as they wait to register their first success on the road since returning to the Championship.

Cardiff will at least return to home comforts for their next two fixtures, although they will need a far better start to proceedings than they managed here when they welcome West Ham on Wednesday.

Wolves, meanwhile, will be energised for their successive away trips at Bristol City and under-par Wrexham as they look to find convincing consistency under the Portuguese manager who was appointed this summer to lead the club back to the Premier League.

Having been on the end of Molineux moans despite beating Watford last time out, Peixoto couldn't have asked for a better start to quiet criticism.

Jordan James – whose withdrawal against Watford had prompted fans' frustrations to be aired from the stands – shot wide within minutes, and Rafiki Said saw a close-range effort blocked by Will Fish.

And the fast-tempo start had its breakthrough with 11 minutes gone with a goal that exposed Cardiff's defensive frailties.

Hugo Bueno was the orchestrator, driving with the ball from deep in his own half before floating a pass into the area, with Lopez stooping to head home as Calum Scanlon failed to follow his run.

It was a welcome return to the side for Lopez, the only change from the win over Watford, underlining the 22-year-old's importance as he made it six Championship goals and three assists for the season.

He was involved, too, as the hosts doubled their advantage four minutes later, spreading wide to Said, who repeated the trick of floating a ball behind the flat Bluebirds' defence to be met by the unmarked Armstrong, heading home for his second in as many games.

Wolves should have had a third after the Bluebirds' Nathan Trott inexplicably passed the ball straight to Said inside the area as they attempted to play out, only for the forward – in an otherwise eye-catching display – to shoot back into the relieved arms of the goalkeeper.

That, with an early injury to Wales midfielder James, was the only downside of Wolves' opening half.

But Cardiff did provide some warnings; Chris Willock had tested Jose Sa early on and then provided a chance for Ollie Tanner, who was blocked by the same man.

Sa was also equal to an effort from Joel Colwill as Cardiff battled, but the game was over when – from a 58th minute corner – Krejci was far too free to meet a Kieran Trippier corner for the hosts' third.

Yousef Salech was also frustrated by Sa with a header of his own, with Colwill missing the rebound, while the afternoon was summed up - and defeat confirmed - when top-scorer Jack Moylan saw his close-range strike ruled out for offside.

Peixoto had called for his players to be "main characters" in the build-up to the visit of the Bluebirds.

And the former Gil Vicente boss will be pleased that there was no plot twist on an afternoon that could have been a true test of where Wolves are right now.

Cardiff showed in last weekend's win over Birmingham that they can shock sides with their mix of work-rate and ease of possession.

But it was the visitors who were left reeling by the way Wolves began things.

Brian Barry-Murphy may well bemoan the space they allowed those in old gold, but the quality to make the most of the openings was obvious.

Granted, supporters have wanted to see their side push on in games and not sit on leads – but Wolves did not really need to here after the early double put them in command.

The scoreline may have flattered by the end given Cardiff's unrewarded response, and there is clearly room for improvement.

But three goals, a clean sheet and a move towards the automatic spots is not to be sneezed at.

Especially when Lopez looks like a player who can live up to the £19m price tag paid out last year in this division.

With the well-publicised injuries, Peixoto will hope the apparent hamstring problem picked up by James will not see the Wales international out for too long.

Regardless, this was a result that will at least ease some concerns around the new manager.

Barry-Murphy will have no such worries about supporter ire, despite the recent upturn in form ending and keeping Cardiff in the bottom half.

There is confidence in the Cardiff boss, but he surely will be wondering where the away results are coming from – and why there is such a difference on the road.

Only Watford and Preston have a worse away record in the division.

Cardiff's high-energy style feeds off their home crowd and will be needed for the visit of both West Ham and struggling Burnley before the international break.

But the return of Gabriel Osho from suspension and Krystian Bielik from injury will also be welcome given the ease with which Wolves scored.

Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy told BBC Radio Wales:

"It was a difficult match for us. We just weren't at our best in the first half in possession when we needed to be.

"We knew the strengths of Wolves on the counter-attack. We got the ball to our creative players in certain situations, but it wasn't often enough, and we gave the ball away in areas that caused us problems.

"The players gave it everything in the second half, but we just couldn't find a way back into the game.

"All three goals from our point of view were very disappointing and very soft. We came here – despite Wolves' reputation and where they've come from – to win the game, but we defended the box really poorly in those situations."

Wolves head coach Cesar Peixoto told BBC Radio WM:

"The players followed the game plan amazingly. We sped the game up at the right moments. We know they press high, but they open up, and we can create chances, and we won a lot of balls high in the first half.

"The team played much better, played with courage, and changed the rhythm. After we went 3-0 up, we managed the minutes of the players and managed the game.

"It's a good victory for us, but in three days we have another game.

"The environment in the stadium was perfect, so thank you to the supporters, and the win was for them."