Newcastle 2-1 Wolves: Late Almiron strike sends Magpies fifth

Premier LeagueSee standings

1-0, 26 mins, Isak 1-1, 70 mins, Hwang 2-1, 79 mins, Almiron

Miguel Almiron of Newcastle United scores the team's second goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at St. James Park on March 12, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

A 79th minute strike from Miguel Almiron was enough for Newcastle United to wrap up all three points against Wolves.

The visitors were denied a penalty early on when Nick Pope brought Raul Jimenez down in the penalty area. Both the on-field and VAR referees were in agreement that it was not a foul.

The hosts took the lead after 25 minutes when Alexander Isak notched his fourth Premier League goal of the season with a delicate glancing header.

The Magpies were dominant for the remainder of the first half, looking full value for their lead.

Wolves replied with 20 minutes left as Hwang Hee-Chan capitalised on a Kieran Tripper mistake, scoring his first league goal for 13 months.

10 minutes later, Almiron struck as his deflected effort deceived Jose Sa and nestled in the back of the net.

Newcastle move up to fifth in the Premier League while Wolves remain 13th.

  • Story of the game

Both managers made numerous changes off the back of last weekend's fixtures.

Eddie Howe made five changes from Newcastle's 2-0 defeat away to Manchester City. 

Fabian Schar was reintroduced at centre half as Jamal Lascelles dropped back to the bench. 

Joe Willock replaced Joelinton in midfield as the Brazilian served the first of a two match ban. Newcastle's number seven picked up his 10th yellow card of the season last weekend. 

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Howe made wholesale changes to his front three with Allan Saint-Maximin, Jacob Murphy and Isak challenging the Wolves backline. 

Callum Wilson and Almiron were dropped to the bench while Anthony Gordon was not named in the squad. The Englishman suffered an ankle injury during the defeat in Manchester.

As for Wolves, Julen Lopetegui made four changes to the side that beat Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.

Matheus Nunes was substituted against Spurs after a poor first half performance. The Portuguese midfielder was replaced by Joao Moutinho in the starting 11. 

Similarly to the hosts, Wolves also named an entirely changed front three compared to last week's side, naming Daniel Podence, Adama Traore and Jimenez at St James Park.

Diego Costa was stretchered off with a knee injury last week, while Pablo Sarabia also missed out on the matchday squad with a knock.

Pedro Neto made his return from injury last week but was dropped to the bench today. 

Both sides looked to start the game on the front foot, but neither side could create a clear cut chance in the opening stages. A Tripper free kick that struck the Wolves wall was the closest either side came to opening the scoring.

The game's first big talking point came 20 minutes in. A sloppy backwards pass from Fabian Schar was intercepted by Jimenez, before the Mexican striker was bundled down by Pope.

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Referee Andrew Madley waved away the visitors penalty appeals with VAR referee Tony Harrington in agreement with the on-field official. 

Just minutes later, Newcastle went ahead. Tripper delivered an out swinging free kick from the right hand touchline, meeting the head of Isak. The Swedish striker was too strong for Jonny Otto, moving the Spaniard aside before glancing a header into the bottom left corner. 

The goal galvanised the St James Park faithful as the hosts were able to apply pressure to a shaky Wolves defence. A series of dangerous crosses into the box, combined with poor defensive headers, allowed United to pin the visitors into their defensive third.

Another Tripper set piece, this time a corner, found an unmarked Dan Burn at the back post. The Englishman headed the ball back to Bruno Guimaraes, whose close range header rattled the crossbar.

The visitors did work Pope before the break as a Podence effort struck the post from 20-yards out. The winger was able to bring down a cross-field Ruben Neves pass before cutting inside and unleashing a shot on goal.

His strike was the last real effort in the first half as Newcastle headed into the break 1-0 up, a lead that should have been more.

Neto replaced Traore at half time and had the first opportunity of the second period. Moutinho rolled a free kick to Neto on the edge of the box with the winger unleashing a venomous left footed effort, forcing Pope into a smart stop.

Tripper had a free kick of his own moments later as Sa pushed the ball away from danger. 

Not long after the hour mark, a Neto cross was diverted into the path of Moutinho. The veteran midfielder's goalward volley was sneaking inside the near post before Pope got down well to save.  

Wolves would not have to wait long for another chance at an equaliser, this time making it count.

Hwang Hee-Chan had only been on the pitch for a matter of seconds before breaking into the Newcastle penalty area. Jimenez pressured Tripper into a mistake as the full back sliced the ball into the path of the South Korean, allowing him to net his first Premier League goal of the season.

Despite Wolves looking lively, the hosts would only need to wait 10 minutes before responding through a substitute of their own.

Almiron played a swift one-two with Willock, and found himself free on the right hand side of the penalty area. His effort across goal deflected off Max Kilman and beat Sa at the near post.

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The Magpies sat deeper after their second goal as they looked to manage the dying stages of the game.

The final chance of the game came deep into stoppage time as Sven Botman blazed a golden opportunity over the top of the crossbar. 

  • Player of the match

Alexander Isak broke the deadlock in the 27th minute today but his game was about much more than his goal.

The Swedish striker constantly found space in behind the Wolves defence, often drifting wide behind Nelson Semedo. 

He also looked to pressure the Wolves backline at any opportunity, often forcing Kilman and Craig Dawson into rushed clearances.