Sunderland emerged as victors from an enthralling and at times baffling Premier League encounter with Wolves, winning 5-2 at the Stadium of Light.

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• Matchcast: Sunderland v Wolves
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Penalties from Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones put Steve Bruce's side 2-0 up; Wolves levelled soon into the second half via a John Mensah own-goal and Kevin Doyle strike before Jones struck again and Michael Turner put the gloss on the win with his first goal for the Black Cats, with Michael Mancienne scoring an own goal for Wolves in injury-time.

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy returned to the ground where he never oversaw a Premier League victory in charge of Sunderland, and that unenviable record continues with his current club - although the visitors did not deserve to lose by such a margin.

However the result is what will be remembered, and the upshot is that Sunderland's return of 14 goals and 12 points from seven games represents their best start to a Premier League campaign. They now lie eighth, level on points with Aston Villa, Manchester City and Arsenal, while Wolves remain 17th.

It was a game lacking in quality; but that was more than made up for with excitement.

Bent took just nine minutes to bag his sixth of the season from just seven games when Segundo Castillo sent him tumbling in the box.

The Ecuadorian midfielder did get his toe to the ball as he felled the striker, but referee Lee Mason - who had his view of the ball obscured by the pair - pointed to the spot. Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey dived the right way, but Bent's low strike flew into the side-netting, out of his reach.

Wolves appealed for a penalty of their own on the half-hour mark when Michael Turner appeared to push Kevin Doyle in the back as they jumped for a cross. Doyle was between the defender and the ball as Turner jumped in, but the referee ignored the appeals.

Doyle almost made up for that disappointment in first-half injury time when he glanced Matthew Jarvis's free-kick just wide of the far post with goalkeeper Craig Gordon rooted to the spot.

Sunderland won a second spot-kick early in the second half, but this time there were no complaints from the Wolves players as Christophe Berra clearly tripped Bent as the striker ran across him.

In a surprising move Bent handed the ball to strike partner Jones, who calmly stroked it home to register his first goal in six matches.

Wolves had been positive and ambitious throughout, and got a reward of sorts just two minutes later when Berra's shot was palmed away by Craig Gordon only to see it hit the chest of Mensah and go into the Ghanaian's own net.

Kieran Richardson helped gift Wolves their equaliser when his suicidal back-pass had to be saved by the hand of Gordon, giving Wolves an indirect free-kick six yards out. Karl Henry's initial strike deflected off the wall of red and white on the goal line, but Doyle reacted quickest to score a goal he richly deserved for his gutsy and rugged display.

Sunderland looked out of sorts and Wolves took hold of the momentum but they could not make the most of it, and when Jones drilled a low strike into the far corner with 20 minutes remaining it knocked the wind out of them.

That blow was cruelly followed three minutes later by Turner rising to head home a corner.

Former Sunderland defender Greg Halford had a header of his own cleared off the line by Richardson, but when Bent's strike flew in off the leg of Mancienne in the third of five added minutes, McCarthy was left to wonder if he will ever taste victory on Wearside.