Newcastle reignited their hopes for European qualification with a 3-0 victory over Wolves – their first at St James’ Park since before Christmas.
The Magpies’ campaign had stalled in recent weeks, with just one win in their last four Premier League games and 12 goals conceded during that time.
But just a week after being thrashed at Arsenal, Eddie Howe’s side produced a much-improved performance against Wolves, with Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon scoring before half-time.
Wolves went into the game one point and one place above Newcastle after collecting nine points from the last 12 available but were second-best throughout, and lost Jose Sa and Pedro Neto to injuries.
Newcastle suffered a blow of their own when Kieran Trippier limped off, but their afternoon ended on a high when Tino Livramento poked in his first goal for the club.
The result moves the hosts up to eighth, just four points behind sixth-placed Manchester United, while Wolves are two points and two places behind their hosts.
How Newcastle swept aside toothless Wolves
Alexander Isak celebrates after giving Newcastle the lead against Wolves
After struggling past Blackburn thanks to a penalty shootout in their midweek FA Cup encounter, all signs pointed to another tricky afternoon for Newcastle.
Wolves arrived in impressive form and, with the dangerous Neto lining up against the struggling Dan Burn, would have felt confident of adding to their hosts’ defensive woes.
But despite a bright start, Newcastle were able to contain Wolves for the majority of the game, with Neto given little space in which to run at the Mapgies’ defence.
Gary O’Neil’s side are one of the most effective teams on the counter-attack in the Premier League but were handed a taste of their own medicine after just 13 minutes when Gordon broke downfield, with Isak heading in Bruno Guimaraes’ deflected shot from close range.
Burn shot wide when finding himself in space on the edge of Wolves’ box but Newcastle quickly scored their second, Gordon rifling in the loose ball after Sa and Max Kilman failed to deal with a low cross.
There was further trouble for Wolves when Sa and Neto failed to reemerge for the second half, although Newcastle then lost Trippier to injury.
With Neto joining the injured Matheus Cunha on the sidelines, Wolves struggled to cause Newcastle problems, and Martin Dubravka’s only work saw him produce decent saves from Nathan Fraser and Pablo Sarabia.
Joe Willock should have scored Newcastle’s third when his header was cleared off the line by Toti Gomes, but Livramento faced no such problems in stoppage time, weaving past Wolves’ depleted defence before forcing an untidy finish past Daniel Bentley.
It was a welcome return to winning ways at St James’ Park for Newcastle – but Wolves will hope the news regarding Neto and Sa is more positive than the 90 minutes they endured on Tyneside.
Opta stats: Howe reaches his century
- Eddie Howe has recorded his 100th win in the Premier League, making him the eighth English manager to reach that milestone in the competition.
- Wolves have won just one of their nine away meetings with Newcastle in the Premier League (2-1 in December 2018 under Nuno Espirito Santo), while they’ve lost each of their last three visits to St James’ Park.
- Newcastle have scored in all 18 of their Premier League games against Wolves – only Arsenal (26 vs West Brom and 19 vs Wolves) have faced a side on more occasions with a 100 per cent scoring record in the competition.
- Alexander Isak has scored 12 goals in his first 20 home Premier League games for Newcastle – only Alan Shearer (21), Andy Cole (21) and Les Ferdinand (16) have scored more in their first 20 at St James’ Park for the Magpies.
What’s next?
Newcastle’s next game is in the Premier League against Chelsea on March 11, live on Monday Night Football; kick-off 8pm.
Monday 11th March 6:30pm
Kick off 8:00pm
The Magpies then face Manchester City in their FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday March 16; kick-off 5.30pm.
Wolves are next in action at home to Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
Gary O’Neil’s side then host Midlands rivals Coventry in their FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday March 16; kick-off 12.15pm.
