Newcastle United's hard week of training paid off on match day as Wolves were beaten 2-1 at St James' Park.
Howe had made reference to getting it right in both boxes ever since the Carabao Cup final defeat at Wembley and it felt like the Magpies at least got it spot on at one end in the attacking third. For in both halves, they rediscovered their clinical touch where and when it mattered thanks to Alexander Isak and Miguel Almiron.
Finishing drills have been sharpened up at Benton and video clips about offensive play in the box have been mulled over by players and coaching staff in the last few days. Newcastle created good chances at Man City but failed to finish.
READ MORE: Newcastle United vs Wolves highlights and reaction
Yet that could not be levelled at them against Wolves with Isak's first half header finding the next and Almiron's break into the box proving to be the crucial moment as a week of hard work paid off. The big plus on Sunday night was that United seemed to have got any lingering feeling of disappointment from Wembley out of their system as they were able to celebrate a victory again.
Miguel Almiron's perfect response to being benched
Almiron was beaming as he left St James' on Sunday on a day which had not started brilliantly for him when learning he'd been named on the bench. It is always deemed a risk dropping your top scorer in football but rather than sulk about it, Almiron took the decision in good manner.
And when the call came to go on and win the match, Almiron duly obliged with a well-taken strike and some emotional celebrations. As he pointed to the badge it was clear for everybody to see just what getting three points means to the Paraguay start.
With Jacob Murphy getting a long-awaited start - his first since November in the Premier League - it leaves Howe with a big decision at Nottingham Forest next Friday. However, it's clear that 11-goal Almiron has already made his point, drop him at your peril.
Sven Botman gets away with bad miss late on
Had Wolves scrambled yet another score draw in this fixture the emphasis would have been firmly on the Dutchman's miss at the Leazes End. Thankfully it didn't matter a jot and Botman's search for a goal for Newcastle goes on.
Botman also got away with a bad back-pass in the first half but those two incidents aside he was one of the reasons Newcastle held on for three points. Certainly, though the Holland centre-back has plenty of time to work on other areas of his game.
At 23 he is still working on his game and the finer details will come in good time.
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