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Date: Friday 8th April 2022, 8.00pm
Live on Sky Sports
Venue: St. James' Park
Conditions: Relieved
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Newcastle |
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Wolves |
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1 - 0 |
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Teams |
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Half time: Newcastle
0 Wolves
0
72 mins Jonjo Shelvey's
attempted pass out of his own box to Fabian Schar was cut out, but Wolves
made a hash of keeping hold of the ball and Luke Cundle's slip in centre
field saw it run through to Allan Saint-Maximin.
Under pressure from Willy Boly and with his back to the direction of play,
he took a couple of touches before a smart flick set the onrushing Joelinton
away over the halfway line down the left hand channel.
Chris Wood sped forward down the middle of the field and timed his
run into the Wolves box, popping up ahead of Conor Coady as Joelinton played
it forward around the outside of the visiting defender.
Jose Sa had come flying off his line and stuck out a leg, Wood's first touch
steering the ball wide to his left but the striker maintaining his course
and made contact with the 'keeper's outstretched leg before crashing to
earth. "Triple salchow and a twist" as Alan Weeks would have said.
Following a brief delay while VAR confirmed that Wood was onside when he
gained possession, the Kiwi whacked his spot kick to Sa's right as the
goalkeeper went the opposite way.
Celebrations immediately behind the Gallowgate goal included Bruno hoisting
a small child into the air - not Ryan Fraser as was cruelly suggested on
social media....1-0
Full time:
Newcastle 1 Wolves
0
Eddie Howe said:
"It has put us in a stronger
position but I still think we have work to do. The home games are key
for us but we want to pick up points wherever we go.
"At this stage of the season, it
is about results. We are well aware we need to continue to get
points. I think it's results over performances at the moment.
"There will be a time when we can evolve.
"Massive tonight. It was the kind of game we expected it to be.
Wolves make it difficult for you. We had our moments. It took a
penalty to win the game but the players gave everything again.
"We still have work to do but
that was a massive step forward tonight. It brings us closer to
safety. I hope there will be a different Newcastle in the future but
we have to play a certain way to get results at the moment.
On Bruno:
"Bruno Guimaraes is going to be
a mainstay of the team. The difficulty is that we went on that
winning run, and it was difficult to break the midfield up.
"He got his opportunity today and I thought he was excellent. He
offered a different dimension. I am excited by what he can bring to
the team."
On Wood:
"I am so pleased for Chris Wood. You could see him filling in on the
left of midfield. He is a willing lad. The goal will do wonders for
him. I am pleased he stepped up and took it.
"As a striker coming here you have to score. When you haven't scored
at home in front of your own supporters it can be a difficult
weight. He was really challenged - I am so, so pleased for him."
On the fans:
"The crowd really helped us today. The relationship to the
supporters is everything.
"The ground is in the centre of the city, everyone lives and
breathes Newcastle, and we have to repay that support with hard work
and passion and a willingness to run.
"I think night games here are absolutely brilliant. I would have
loved to have played in one myself, but the next best thing is
managing and experiencing what the crowd can do to the players and
how they can inspire them. We really needed them."
Bruno Lage said:
"I think, especially from our side, it was a game with two distinct
halves. First half we controlled the game, without and with the ball, we
know how dangerous Newcastle can be with the runs in behind, and men in
front.
"They want to push us with defenders and (Jonjo)
Shelvey, to try to find the run in behind.
We controlled that, but after with the ball I think we controlled the
game, but didn’t create, we weren’t aggressive, we didn’t create our
chances, but we were there with the ball.
"Second-half I think it
was different. We were the better side, we started very well, we tried to
find the spaces, the zones to be nearer the box. The first five minutes of
the second-half we created more danger than what we did in the first-half
and then comes the moment when the game is ours, and it comes one more time
a penalty.
“We have the ball, after a cross the opponent wins the ball, has two or
three touches inside our box, and it’s a penalty. I don’t know if there’s
any teams with more penalties (conceded) than us...we don’t break the
transitions, near position to win second balls, we lose that ball and after
that it’s not the first time, six or seven penalties, 1-0 for them.
"After that, we continue
to play our game, we created good chances, but didn’t score. It was a big
opportunity for us that we missed, we came with that idea, and if we played
the full game like we did second-half, maybe the game would be different.
"Since the first minute we can’t be defending for too
much time – we need to control the game with the ball. We are not so
aggressive to stop these kinds of things. It’s about being there near the
man, controlled the opponents.
"Sometimes we lose the
chance and if you look at that moment, they win the ball, two passes and
they are inside of our box. It’s frustrating but we need to continue to
work, that’s our mentality, every time to try to learn and improve.
"Every team, every player, even me has its own limit, that’s why I work
hard, and I challenge my players every day to work hard, to improve the
things that we can improve.
"We are there. When you look at our team, the plan was very clear, what we
have to do without the ball and when we have the ball.
"A massive challenge for my players because you can see today Newcastle’s
team and our team, it was a big difference at set pieces. I challenged them
not to think about how big they are, at set pieces we have to go with
everything.
"We controlled everything,
we didn’t control that penalty, but this is the things that happen in
football. Credit for Newcastle, they did a good game, they took their chance
and win, but for us we continue to work.
"Now we have some days off because we don’t have a game next week and after
we come again with the same mentality to play against Burnley.”
Newcastle ended an eight game
winless run against Wolves in the Premier League since
a 2-1 win in the Black Country in October 2011.
This was only the second victory at SJP in the PL against Wolves in seven attempts - four of the other five games ended
in draws.
United are unbeaten in six PL home outings,
since a 0-4 loss to Manchester City last December. They have now lost just
once in ten games at SJP.
United have won each of their last four home games in the PL,
something last achieved in February 2019 under Rafa Benitez.
Chris Wood scored his second goal for the club, having got off
the mark away at Southampton last month.
Wood's goal saw Newcastle nudge up to 21 home PL goals for the
season - exceeding the previous low of 20 attained in 2019/20. We also
managed to knock in 21 during the entire 2017/18 campaign.
United's fifth PL home victory of the season also saw them avoid
setting a new low for the club in that competition; matching the five
managed in the 2008/09 season.
Newcastle were awarded and scored a second PL penalty of the
season, Chris Wood emulating Callum Wilson at home to Norwich City
in November.
This win was United's 250th at SJP in the Premier League - that
venue becoming the sixth in the PL where that milestone has been
reached:
Manchester United
(Old Trafford) 400
Liverpool (Anfield) 360
Chelsea (Stamford Bridge) 352
Everton (Goodison Park) 264
Tottenham (White Hart Lane) 251*
Newcastle United (SJP) 250
* total doesn't include Wembley or the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
250 PL home wins - milestones:
1st: August 1993 Everton 1-0 (Allen)
50th: Nov 1996 Boro 3-1 (Beardsley 2 [1pen], Lee)
100th: Jan 2003 Leeds United 3-1 (OG, Dyer, Bellamy)
150th: Aug 2006 Wigan Athletic 2-1 (Parker, Ameobi)
200th: Dec 2013 Stoke City 5-1 (Remy 2, Gouffran, Cabaye, Cisse
[pen])
250th: Apr 2022 Wolves 1-0 (Wood penalty)
Wolves in Toon - last 20:
2021/22 won 1-0 Wood
2020/21 drew 1-1 Lascelles
2019/20 drew 1-1 Lascelles
2018/19 lost 1-2 Perez
2016/17 won 2-0 Ritchie, Gouffran (LC)
2016/17 lost 0-2 (Ch)
2011/12 drew 2-2 Cisse, Gutierrez
2010/11 won 4-1 Nolan, Shola Ameobi, Lovenkrands, Gutierrez
2003/04 drew 1-1 Bowyer
1992/93 won 2-1 Kelly 2 (D1)
1991/92 lost 1-2 og(Madden) (D2)
1990/91 drew 0-0 (D2)
1989/90 lost 1-4 Brock (D2)
1982/83 drew 1-1 Wharton (D2)
1978/79 drew 1-1 Withe (FAC)
1977/78 won 4-0 T.Craig, Mitchell, Cassidy, Nattrass (D1)
1975/76 won 5-1 Gowling 3, Tudor, Cassidy (D1)
1974/75 drew 0-0
1973/74 won 2-0 Nattrass, Howard (D1)
1972/73 won 2-1 Green, Tudor (D1)
"Howay ye bugger, everybody get doon,
It’s Friday neet and wa gannin to the Toon"
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Waffle |
A second half penalty conversion by Chris Wood was enough to give
Newcastle their fourth successive home win - drawing a line under a
demoralising run of three successive away defeats in the process.
The striker had seen a first half effort
rightly ruled out for offside by a VAR review, but drew a foul from
Wolves 'keeper Jose Sa in the 72nd minutes and then rammed the spot kick
into the Gallowgate net.
Despite United's dominance from the off, the goal hadn't looked like
coming until that point in a game that was light on genuine scoring
chances.
Recalling Emil Krafth and Bruno Guimaraes - the latter making his first
start at home - the Magpies were forced into an early change when Ryan
Fraser was unable to continue and made way for Miguel Almiron on 13
minutes.
The Paraguayan's smart flick then allowed Bruno to pull the ball across
the six yard box, and comedic defending by Will Boly and Jonny Otto
allowed the grounded Wood to sweep it home from close range after 22
minutes.
The celebrations were halted however by notice of a VAR decision and the
goal was rightly chalked off for an offside against Bruno.
It took fully 40 minutes for Bruno Lage's side to reach the
opposition area, but for all the caution verging on shyness from Wolves, Newcastle's ongoing problems in front of goal remained
obvious -
it's now over six and a half hours since we registered a goal from open
play.
Five of the previous six meetings of these clubs ended 1-1 and once
behind, Wolves came close to levelling through Fabio Silva, who
glanced a header wide on 79 minutes and forced Martin Dubravka into a
save seconds later.
A second goal in our colours was Wood's reward for an industrious
display when he once again lacked service, but none of those on show
tonight stinted on their efforts, in contrast to Spurs on Sunday.
The star of the show though was Bruno; quite simply a joy to watch when
in what looked like effortless possession and finding space with
movement seldom glimpsed in a black and white shirt.
Allan Saint-Maximin meanwhile gave a trademark performance that combined
promise and profligacy (and an assist for the assist); creating shooting chances from his own unique
talent and wasting them. Frustrating yes, but in terms of putting fear
into the opposition and occupying defenders, priceless.
A mention also for the full backs Krafth and Matt Targett, who took
advantage of the visiting side's reticence at 0-0 to augment the attack
and then made some crucial interventions to protect the lead once
acquired.
Three points took United to fourteenth with 34 points from
thirty one games - ten ahead of Burnley down in eighteenth, who have
played two less.
Fourteenth then became fifteenth on Sunday as Brentford went above us
following victory over West Ham. That ten point gap to the bottom three
remained unchanged though, after Burnley lost at Norwich City.
At full time, odds of 50/1 on Newcastle suffering relegation were
available. Even allowing for our dour outlook, it's fair to suggest that
survival now beckons.
Biffa |