Newcastle 1 Wolves 2 – Report and pictures

Wolves took an early lead when Diogo Jota took Helder Costa's cross and sidefooted home, but Newcastle were level at half time after Ayoze Perez's header beat Rui Patricio.

The hosts were reduced to 10 men after the break when DeAndre Yedlin was sent off for fouling Jota.

Wolves almost grabbed a winner when Raul Jimenez's shot struck the crossbar. And then in the 94th minute Doherty headed home after a superb run from Jota.

Analysis

The Wolves we know and love are very much back. And so is Diogo Jota.

Two games, six points and two very dramatic victories that have seen them soar back into the top half of the table, writes Tim Spiers at St James' Park.

It looked for all the world that this would be an afternoon of frustration for Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

They had been 1-0 up and then a man up but also toiled for long spells in a game low on quality.

Then with just seconds left, that never-say-die attitude came to the fore once again as they struck their second last-minute winner of the season.

What a moment – and it was Diogo Jota who created it, chanelling his inner Maradona with a jinking run from deep.

Jota's earlier goal, superbly well taken, was his second in two games and the Portuguese forward looks to finally have his confidence back.

This was a turgid game at times but there are so many positives for Wolves to take. Nuno changed his system back to 3-4-3 but there are several players now demanding selection, not least Morgan Gibbs-White who after being taken out the team responded with a brilliant cameo.

After selecting the same XI for so long at the start of the season, a horses for courses approach may now benefit them going forward.

Either way, it's to have the collective smile back on the face of this club. What a difference a week makes.

Match report

Nuno surprisingly made three changes from the team that had so brilliantly beaten Chelsea 2-1 on Wednesday.

He reverted back to his tried and trusted 3-4-3 formation and left out Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez for the first time this season, with Morgan Gibbs-White joining them on the bench.

In came Adama Traore, Helder Costa and the suspension-free Ruben Neves.

That meant Romain Saiss kept his place, a reward for two good performances in the past two weeks, but there was no Jonjo Shelvey in the Newcastle team as the pair met for the first time since Shelvey was found guilty of racially abusing the Moroccan at this ground in 2016.

The hope was that Wolves would take confidence and momentum from that Chelsea win into the game - and they certainly did in the opening stages.

After a very early Newcastle chance when Salomon Rondon volleyed at Rui Patricio inside 40 seconds, Nuno's team took the game to the Magpies - they looked assured in possession and were full of attacking intent.

The front three were combining to great effort with Traore in particular making a great start to the game.

He excelled when spinning and turning past Federicio Fernandez and earning a corner, while either side of him Costa and Diogo Jota were looking to get on the ball and drift in behind.

After a few early corners and plenty of Wolves pressure, they took the lead after 17 minutes with a classy goal of real quality.

Costa drifted inside from the right, looked up and drifted a perfect cross towards Diogo Jota who had time to chest the ball down and coolly beat keeper Martin Dubravka from close range.

It was a long-awaited first assist of the season from Costa and a second goal in two games for Jota, who previously hadn't netted since April.

Wolves were full of beans and shortly afterwards their livewire front trio almost combined to make it 2-0. Traore won the ball in midfield, played left to Jota whose low ball across the face of goal was heading for a Costa tap-in before a defender crucially got in a toe to take the ball off him.

Nuno's team were in complete control and the home fans were showing their frustration – but then the whole dynamic of the game changed when Newcastle equalised against the run of play.

Rondon struck a wicked 20-yard free kick which cannoned off the underside of the bar – Wolves didn't clear their lines or push out of the box and when Rondon swung the ball back into the area Ayoze Perez stole a march on Conor Coady to flick an impressive header past a helpless Patricio.

Thereafter Wolves' quality on the ball and threat up top both vanished. They sat deeper, continuously gave the ball away with Traore and an off-colour Neves guilty more than most and also gave away a succession of silly free-kicks.

Nuno repeatedly and ruefully shook his head as he watched his team's control disintegrate. They created little going forward but weren't really troubled defensively either as the game died a death at a quiet St James' Park.

There were no changes at half time for Wolves, with Newcastle replacing Fernandez with Manquillo.

After a drab opening 10 minutes neither team was making any headway with both keepers redundant.

Then came a game-changing moment. Jota nicked the ball off a hesitant Yedlin, who cynically pulled the forward back as he hared towards the box. Lascelles was covering nearby but referee Mike Dean had no hesitation in showing the American a red card, must to the disgust of the home supporters and Rafa Benitez.

On came Gibbs-White and Jimenez for Saiss and Traore as Wolves looked to take full advantage.

But with Newcastle now happy to sit deep and pack the midfield, Wolves couldn't do that.

They didn't create a single chance in the next 15 minutes, with Costa and Jota guilty of being wasteful in possession. Indeed, the Magpies looked the more likely scorers.

Then with 76 minutes on the clock they broke ferociously from a Newcastle corner – the ball was played wide left to Jimenez, who worked it into his right foot and smacked a piledriver against the underside of the bar. Like Rondon's shot earlier, it bounced just short of the line.

Nuno made his final change, replacing Costa with Moutinho and sending the roaming Gibbs-White up front.

The counter attack looked like being Wolves' best route to goal and another lightning break almost yielded a second goal once again. This time Jota raced down the left and played inside – Gibbs-White cleverly dummied and Matt Doherty's left-footed curler was brilliantly tipped wide by Dubravka.

The hosts were sporadically attacking down the other end but crosses and corners were all they had to offer. The three points were there for the taking.

And with just seconds to go they finally took it. Jota embarked on a jinking run from deep, fired at goal and then Doherty headed home the rebound to spark ecstatic scenes on the pitch, on the sidelines and in the stands.

They left it very, very late, but the result was all that mattered.

Key moments

17 - GOAL!! Jota coolly slots home from close range to put Wolves in front! Picked out superbly by Costa's cross from the right-hand side, Jota - who broke his duck by grabbing the winner against Chelsea on Wednesday - takes a touch before guiding the ball past Dubravka.

23 - Goal Newcastle! The hosts come up with a quick reply through Perez. Rondon's free-kick, somehow, stays out after hitting the underside of the bar but, seconds later, Perez's header loops in over Patricio.

57 - RED CARD! Jota steals the ball off Yedlin and is about to break into the box, only for the Magpies wing-back to pull him down. Yedlin is then swiftly dismissed. Benitez is not happy, at all, with the decision.

75 - So close to a Wolves second! Gibbs-White bursts forward on the counter-attack and feeds it to fellow substitute Jimenez, who is denied by the same part of the woodwork as Rondon was in the first half. Dubravka breathes a sigh of relief.

90 - GOALLLLLLL!!!!! WOLVES WIN IT AT THE DEATH!! Jota goes on a mazy run. Several Newcastle defenders try to stop him, but he evades the challenges and gets his shot off. Dubravka saves it, but Doherty is on hand to head in on the rebound and send the travelling supporters into delirium.

Teams

Newcastle (4-3-3): Newcastle (3-5-2): Dubravka; Lascelles (c), Fernandez (Manquillo, 46), Clark; Yedlin, Diame, Ki, Atsu (Kenedy, 89), Ritchie; Perez, Rondon (Joselu, 86)

Subs not used: Woodman (gk), Dummett, Muto, Longstaff

Goals: Perez 23

Patricio; Bennett, Coady (c), Boly; Doherty, Saiss (Gibbs-White, 60), Neves, Vinagre; Costa (Moutinho, 76), Traore (Jimenez, 60), Jota

Subs not used: Ruddy (gk), Cavaleiro, Dendoncker, Bonatini

Goals: Jota 17 Doherty 90+4

Attendance: 50,200

Referee: Mike Dean

League position

10th (22 points from 16 matches)

Next up

Wolves host Bournemouth at Molineux next Saturday, kick off 3pm