Newcastle secured their first home victory in the Premier League since mid-December with goals from Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Tino Livramento, propelling them to victory over Wolves.
Sweden international Isak headed in at the end of a swift counter-attack involving Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes. Guimaraes’ left-footed shot deflected off Craig Dawson, redirecting the ball into Isak’s path.
Eddie Howe’s team extended their lead when Jacob Murphy’s low cross was not properly dealt with by Wolves’ goalkeeper Jose Sa and defender Max Kilman, allowing Gordon to capitalize on the loose ball and find the net.
Despite dominating possession at St James’ Park, Wolves struggled to test Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka until midway through the second half. Substitute Nathan Fraser’s low shot from outside the box was comfortably saved by Dubravka.
Dubravka then made an impressive save to deny Pablo Sarabia shortly after, before Livramento scored his first goal for Newcastle in stoppage time, securing their first home win since December 16th when they defeated Fulham 3-0.
This victory propelled Newcastle to eighth place in the table, while Wolves slipped to 10th.
Magpies rediscover home comforts
Newcastle capped off a satisfying week with three points and their first clean sheet in two and a half months. This followed their progression to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Championship side Blackburn earlier in the week.
The team’s inconsistent league form has been a cause for concern, but after a sluggish start against Wolves, they began to resemble the side that secured Champions League football for the first time in 20 years last season.
After Alexander Isak’s 15th goal of the season, Newcastle grew in confidence and came close to doubling their lead when Dan Burn’s attempt from the edge of the area went wide. Jacob Murphy then forced a save from Sa, but the Wolves goalkeeper’s attempted clearance from Murphy’s cross inadvertently set up Anthony Gordon’s goal.
Joe Willock, making only his second league start of the campaign for Newcastle, thought he had extended their lead, only to be denied by a superb goal-line block by Toti Gomes.
The hosts’ joy was tempered by an injury to captain Kieran Trippier, who was replaced by Tino Livramento early in the second half.
Livramento, the former Southampton full-back, completed the scoring by skipping between two defenders and slotting the ball into the far corner.
The victory marked Eddie Howe’s 100th win in the top flight as a manager, but the team’s confident performance at home holds more significance than any personal milestones.
Wolves unbeaten away run ended
Before this match, Wolves had surpassed Newcastle in the league standings with six wins in nine matches, but manager Gary O’Neil will be disappointed with his team’s defensive lapses, particularly for the first two goals.
The visitors were caught out too easily after Rayan Ait-Nouri lost possession, leading to Isak’s header, while Jose Sa and Max Kilman’s mix-up allowed Gordon to score.
Wolves’ woes were compounded by injuries to Sa and Pedro Neto, both forced off at half-time, resulting in Dan Bentley and 19-year-old Republic of Ireland youth international Nathan Fraser replacing them.
Wolves showed signs of life in the second half, creating several chances that Martin Dubravka did well to thwart. Despite impressive saves denying Fraser and Pablo Sarabia, Dubravka managed to cling onto Jeanricner Bellegarde’s header, preserving Newcastle’s lead.
However, it proved too little, too late for O’Neil’s side, as they suffered their first away defeat since facing West Ham on December 17th.