Steve Bruce is still one short of his 1,000th game as a manager but after making it seven Premier League games without a win on Saturday, 999 should see him calling the emergency services.

His side were comfortably beaten at Molineux by a Wolves team who scored their first home goals of the season - a brace from Hee Chan Hwang giving Bruno Lage's side back to back victories following their Saints success.

A Newcastle side who had mustered 20 meaningful efforts at Watford a week earlier were able only to conjure up a pile driver from substitute Jeff Hendrick that got them back level before the break.

Minutes before that unexpected equaliser Wolves should have gone 2-0 up but Trincao somehow hit the bar when presented with an almost open goal and it looked like United had prospered from that miss.

Hwang had shot Wanderers into the lead on 20 minutes when Raul Jimenez played in the South Korean forward; Karl Darlow rushing off his line and giving Hwang ample opportunity to steer the ball home.

Allan Saint-Maximin had the chance to put his side ahead in the 51st minute and seemed a certain scorer but his shot was straight at goalkeeper Jose Sa, who blocked from point blank range.

That miss proved costly when Jimenez again fed Hwang and he was able to easily tuck the ball past Darlow again from the left side of the box.

There seemed little chance of a second equaliser as forward efforts got ever more frantic and less effective, Jacob Murphy failing to shoot or pass when well-placed and nothing falling to fellow replacement Dwight Gayle.

The game, like a number of players, limped to its inevitable conclusion, leaving the Magpies next to bottom with just three points out of 21.

Joe Willock was also added our list of casualties, struggling with a side strain for some time before eventually bowing to the inevitable and coming off on 36 minutes.

His departure saw United revert to a back five; Hayden going into the defence as Hendrick entered the fray, to what could be described as a cool reception from the travelling contingent.

Within six minutes though the jeers had become cheers, as he was in the right place at the right time to thump home an effort from outside the box after Joelinton's challenge on Jose Sa had left the 'keeper stranded.

But that was a rare moment of unexpected joy when our shortcomings were painfully evident: defensively sloppy, unimaginative in midfield and overly-reliant on ASM up front.

Back at the venue when he made his Magpies debut in 2019, it's difficult to recall a single contribution Miguel Almiron made today, while Joelinton was rather more involved but with zero end product.

The next transfer window is still 13 games away and it's by no means certain that the panic buying of some previous seasons will be replicated - Bruce failing to convince the powers-that-be barely two months ago that the holes in his squad were an issue.

Only the return of Callum Wilson gives his manager or the long-suffering fans any glimmer of hope during the international break before the visit of Spurs.

Increasing pressure from the stands on Bruce doesn't look to be replicated within the club though, apparently content to be "ticking over" presumably hoping that circumstances allowing for a successful sale arise.

For ticking over though, read misfiring badly - with the pervading gloom in the away section echoed by grim weather in the Black Country on Saturday.

Biffa