Wolves 1 Newcastle 1 - Report

An end-to-end contest saw both sides create chances in a frantic Sunday afternoon at Molineux.

Neves rifled home a wonderful effort from distance to hand Wolves the lead, which they took into half-time.

The second half was much of the same as neither side was able to wrestle complete control of the fixture, as both continued to have chances and enjoy spells of pressure.

Raul Jimenez scored from close range just after the 80th minute, to send Molineux into raptures, before VAR and the referee chalked it off for a Pedro Neto foul in the build-up.

As fate would have it, as the game ticked into the 90th minute, Saint-Maximin pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box to fire a world class volley into the bottom corner and see both teams take home a point.

Bruno Lage made five changes from the mid-week Carabao Cup win over Preston and stuck with the 4-3-3 formation.

Nelson Semedo and Jimenez made their first league starts of the season following their comeback from injury, while Jonny Castro Otto moved to left-back and Rayan Ait-Nouri dropped to the bench.

Experienced defender Willy Boly and young midfielder Luke Cundle did not make the squad, as they are both linked with moves away from the club. As a result, academy winger Chem Campbell earned a place among the substitutes.

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side also lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, but suffered an injury blow.

Influential midfielder Bruno Guimaraes was not involved, while striker Callum Wilson was also sidelined and new record signing Alexander Isak was not able to be involved after only signing for the club on Friday.

One-time Wolves target Sven Botman started in defence, while natural centre-back Dan Burn filled in at left-back.

The first chance fell to Newcastle, when a small mix-up between Nathan Collins and Semedo allowed Joelinton to slide in and poke the ball forward for Chris Wood. The striker had a tight angle and Jose Sa raced off his line to close him down and save for a corner, which was dealt with.

The sublime Neves created a Wolves chance from nothing when an inch-perfect long ball found Goncalo Guedes on the right. His first touch was excellent and his low cross found Neto, who got ahead of Fabian Schar, but he lifted his shot onto the roof of the net.

A similar counter-attack moments later saw Neves release Neto down the left, and after racing to the byline his chipped cross was collected by Nick Pope.

However, after 10 minutes the biggest chance fell to Newcastle. As Wolves struggled to clear their lines a scramble ensued and the ball popped up for Joe Willock from five yards, but with the goal to aim at he somehow blazed wide. In the build up to that chance, Matheus Nunes seemed to tug at Sean Longstaff’s shirt in the box, but he got away with it.

At the other end, Botman swung at a clearance and completely missed the ball as Wolves almost scored, before Collins handed the ball to Newcastle with a poor touch and Longstaff had a shot blocked.

Wolves almost raced into a two-on-one counter-attack but Guedes’ ball to Neto was poor, while Newcastle posed a significant threat and had chances from set pieces.

Nunes had a great chance with a free header from a Jimenez cross, but Botman jumped ahead of the midfielder and seemed to put him off, as Nunes headed wide.

Semedo was impressing at right-back and was doing a stellar job at keeping Saint-Maximin quiet. However, the one time Semedo got the wrong side of the Frenchman, he tripped him and picked up a yellow card.

Only minutes later Semedo then looked to have an influence going forward, as his cross found Jimenez, but the striker’s volleyed effort was scuffed and straight at Pope.

As the game approached half-time, Wolves took the lead. After a set piece broke down, Neto did well to shift the ball from the right to the left and find Guedes. He then turned inside and played Neves who, on the edge of the box, rifled the ball into the bottom corner to send Molineux wild.

The goal was the last major action of the half as Wolves led 1-0 at the break. Although they had no real control over the game, which was very end-to-end, they had the lead thanks to some impressive individual performances, including Neves’ masterclass display.

Just minutes into the second half Schar was booked for a late challenge on Neto, which left the Wolves forward in a heap and needing treatment. A VAR check was then made to determine whether Schar should receive a red card, but the yellow card stood.

Newcastle pushed for an equaliser and almost found it when Collins came close to turning into his own net, but instead hit the side netting as he cleared a cross ahead of Wood.

By the 60th minute, the game was not quite as end-to-end as the first half, but neither side was able to get a firm control on proceedings.

Wolves did spring a good attack when Joao Moutinho’s header found Neto out wide. He raced towards goal and forced Pope into a save.

A tidy Wolves move then saw Semedo feed Jimenez in the box but his touch was too heavy and the chance was gone. Newcastle defended the resulting corner.

Wolves were enjoying a spell on top as they put Newcastle under pressure, but clear-cut chances were still at a premium.

An accidental clash of heads between Nunes and substitute Ryan Fraser saw a significant break in play, as the Wolves man received treatment on the pitch. Both players were able to continue.

Newcastle had their turn to pile on the pressure and began lifting several crosses into the box, as Wolves cleared their lines. However, they were not convincingly dealing with the danger as the visitors continued to create.

On the counter, Wolves had a huge three-on-three chance. Nunes carried the ball forward superbly but with a pass on for Neto to his right, he chose to shoot and directed his effort straight at Pope.

With just under 10 minutes remaining, Neto raced down the left flank and crossed for Jimenez to finish from close range. However, referee Peter Bankes was told to check the pitchside monitor by his VAR colleagues and the goal was overturned as Neto pushed Fraser over in the build-up.

Wolves were looking to hang on to their advantage, despite the blow of Jimenez’s strike being ruled out, but they were only able to survive until the 90th minute. A poor clearance from substitute Hwang Hee-chan saw the ball fall for Saint-Maximin, who fired an excellent volley into the bottom corner.

Wolves pushed for a winner but it was Saint-Maximin who almost found it for Newcastle, as he forced Sa into a strong save during injury time. Substitute Elliot Anderson then smashed the crossbar with a late diving header at the far post.

The last kick of the game saw Schar fire a free-kick wide, as both sides settled for a point.

Wolves: Sa, Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Jonny, Neves, Nunes, Moutinho (Dendoncker, 95), Neto (Hwang, 83), Jimenez, Guedes (Podence, 83)

Subs not used: Sarkic, Ait-Nouri, Gomes, Mosquera, Campbell, Traore.

Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn (Targett, 65), Willock (Anderson, 84), Longstaff, Joelinton, Almiron (Murphy, 84), Wood (Fraser, 65), Saint-Maximin (Ritchie, 95).

Subs not used: Darlow, Dummett, Lascelles, Manquillo.