Thank you very much for joining me.
Here is Jonathan Wilson’s report from Molineux.
Fabian Schar: “We started the game well then dropped off a little. We created more chances in the second half and scored two great goals. It is a massive win for us.
“We can play a lot better and we need to improve our game.”
Harvey Barnes: “We haven’t hit the heights like last season but we are finding a way to win.
“When you are coming on and your team is behind and need a goal, you look to take it on yourself as an attacking player. It is a great feeling to score the winner.
“It is a good start point-wise but we can play a lot better.”
Not a good look for Wolves.
Most PL defeats since start of March (ever-present sides):
— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) September 15, 2024
Wolves 11
Everton 9
Tottenham 8
“After all of our Molineux calamities and injustices over the last few years, this win is particularly sweet*,” says Chris Paraskevas. “Although we haven’t played well for more than 15 minutes at a time this season, Eddie Howe is really forcing home some important wins. "Early days and all that, but how good is it when Hee doesn’t score?!
“*(It till doesn’t make up for the All Stars 8-0)“
It was really good to see Tonali get on and make a difference, he helped change the course of the match.
Newcastle started the bette but failed to produce much in the first half, allowing Wolves to get into the match and take the lead. Howe made the changes at the break, which made the difference. Wolves faded a little and they do not possess the same level of quality off the bench.
Full time: Wolves 1-2 Newcastle
Newcastle are up to third in the table and remain unbeaten are coming from behind at Molineux, thanks to two fine strikes from distance.
90+7 mins: Murphy is booked for chasing the ball down a tunnel in the corner of the pitch. Is that an attempt at clever timewasting? That is 65th yellow card of the Premier League weekend, which is a new record! What a time to be alive.
90+5 mins: Hwang picks out Forbs in the box and head tries to head the ball back into a dangerous position but Newcastle clear.
90+3 mins: Doherty chucks the ball into the box again. Barnes flicks he ball backwards and it lands on Cunha’s foot, allowing him to produce a technically perfect volley but Pope dives to his right to save expertly.
90+1 mins: Guedes goes down in the box, claiming he is being held by Tonali. He wants a penalty but nothing is happening.
90 mins: Eight minutes added on.
“Now that Eddie Howe isn’t the bookies’ favourite for the England job he can get on with a tilt at a Champion’s League place with a fairly decent squad now Tonali has served his gambling ban,” says Rick Harris. “I reckon the Toon are a dark horse bet for third.”
89 mins: Doherty launches a throw into the box from the right but Newcastle have the height advantage and they clear. Murphy breaks and finds Barnes on the left, he slips in Tonali who sees his shot blocked by Johnstone’s legs.
88 mins: Newcastle are now five at he back as they look to see out the final few minutes.
87 mins: Kelly on for Guimaraes for Newcastle.
86 mins: Forbs eventually gets on, joined by Guedes. Ait-Nouri and Strand Larsen off.
85 mins: “Well to be fair, they’ve stepped it up hugely in the second half,” says Matthew Guite. “Tonali is true class.”
84 mins: Ait-Nouri looks to be struggling, as is Bruno Guimaraes. The Wolves left-back seems to have twisted his ankle.
82 mins: Wolves are going to send on Forbs in the hope of getting back into this.
GOAL! Barnes cuts in from the left and rifles a shot from 20 yards straight into the top corner. Wolves need to to review their defending on that one.
GOAL! Wolves 1-2 Newcastle (Barnes 80)
Another shot into the top corner but there was no need for a deflection.
Updated
79 mins: Doyle lifts a corner from the right into the box but Pope easily claims it and instigates a counter. Once again Schar is in the middle of the action, getting to the byline and pulling the ball back but Wolves scramble it away for a corner. It’s all Newcastle …
77 mins: Andre is down and heading off, as is Semedo. Doyle and Doherty are joining the party.
GOAL! I suspect it was not going in without the deflection off Wolves’ Dawson but Newcastle will not be complaining.
GOAL! Wolves 1-1 Newcastle (Schar 75)
The centre-back shoots from around 25 yards, it flicks off Dawson’s head and finds the top corner.
Updated
74 mins: Andre is the latest to go in the book for taking down Willock with a late challenge on the touchline. Wolves might be tiring a bit here.
72 mins: Newcastle win another corner on the right and Trippier is over to take it. It is partially cleared and in the end Trippier is given offside to end the danger.
70 mins: Semedo is the next to be booked and then he goes down with cramp. I suspect his race is run.
Hwang is coming on for Bellegarde.
69 mins: Cunha is the next player to break into the box but he gets the ball stuck under his feet. In the end he does get a shot away which Pope sticks out an arm to save.
Jason Tindall is booked going to collect the ball. What an incredible tan he has.
67 mins: Barnes gets into the box but takes a bad touch, making his chance trickier to execute and the shot is blocked.
65 mins: Trippier comes straight over to take the free-kick. The set-piece specialist whips the ball in from the right but Cunha clears at the near post. The ball comes back into the box but Burn’s header loops over the bar.
63 mins: Without Isak Newcastle are really lacking a threat in the box.
Ait-Nouri is cautioned for a needless foul on Tonali in the corner, gifting Newcastle a free-kick in a dangerous position.
Trippier comes on for Livramento.
61 mins: Newcastle have a corner on the right. Hall comes over to take an inswinger, which is eventually poked towards goal by Tonali but Johnstone gobbles it up.
Lemina produces a stunning cross from deep on the right for Strand Larsen to attack. The big striker flicks towards goal, forcing Pope to produce a smart save down to his left.
59 mins: Semedo goes down the right and lifts a cross towards the near post for Strand Larsen to attack but Schar beats him to it. Wolves have a corner, which Cunha takes but Joao Gomes heads over.
57 mins: Lemina and his midfield companions are having an excellent games for Wolves. Joao Gomes was superb for the goal and Andre is being extremely efficient.
55 mins: Wolves are slowing things down a bit, possibly knowing the qualities Newcastle have the break.
53 mins: Burn is booked for complaining about the inaction of the referee after a little push from Cunha.
Almost a second for Wolves as Lemina slips a pass to Strand Larsen who pings a first-time shot against the base of the post. The big striker then calls for more noise from the crowd.
51 mins: Johnstone, who is not great with his feet, takes an age to clear a backpass and Gordon blocks the eventual clearance, only at the cost of a goal kick. Johnstone needs to think quicker.
49 mins: It looks like Barnes is on the left, Murphy on the right and Gordon down the middle for Newcastle.
Gordon shoots from the edge of the box and it whacks Dawson straight in the face, leaving the Wolves man down for a few seconds.
47 mins: Isak needed to go off due to a problem with his nose, supposedly an inability to stem the bleeding after he got a ball to the face late in the first half.
Johnstone is forced into action early as Guimaraes pings a shot from 25 yards but the goalkeeper palms it wide. The corner comes in and there is a scramble in the box. The ball bounces up onto Dawson’s arm, Newcastle want a penalty but the referee and VAR rightly agree it is not one.
Second half
Here we go again!
Joelinton, Isak and Longstaff off for Newcastle.
Newcastle have a cunning plan … a triple sub. Tonali, Willock and Barnes incoming.
Here is the Wolves goal.
The perfect counter-attack from Wolves 👏
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 15, 2024
That dummy 🤤 pic.twitter.com/kQTKVKduBc
The Skechers advert with Harry Kane, Jamie Redknapp and Snoop Dogg has dreadful production standards. Might get me some old man trainers, though.
Matthew Guite emails: “That’s pretty much a full strength side out there but we’re playing as though this is a training game. Missed passes, poor decisions in the final third and just meh ...”
Read the north London derby report at half time.
Half time: Wolves 1-0 Newcastle
Wolves did not get into the game until around 25 minutes but have looked extremely dangerous on the break, and that’s how their goal arrived. Newcastle will lament their failings after dominating the early stages.
45 mins: One minute added on.
44 mins: Lemina shows off some silky footwork on the edge of the box but his pass is intercepted. He is then given a chance to shoot from 18 yards but he loses his composure and sends a pitiful effort wide.
42 mins: Wolves have not had a cleansheet in their past 15 matches. One today would be very useful.
Ait-Nouri does well down the left and whips in a dangerous cross but Newcastle manage to clear.
40 mins: It’s all worked out quite well for Wolves after silly of me thought they could be in for a pasting. They are now looking to slow things down and consolidate while Newcastle mull about their struggles in the final third.
Schar is on the deck after a push in side of the face from Strand Larsen. He seems fine to continue.
38 mins: Joelinton is booked for leaving one on Joao Gomes. He is clearly frustrated.
GOAL! Wolves counter impressively down the right. Strand Larsen shrugs off Burn out wide and sends a low cross along the six-yard line, everyone expects Joao Gomes to shoot but he dummies it and Lemina is waiting to tap home at the back post.
GOAL! Wolves 1-0 Newcastle (Lemina 36)
The Wolves skipper taps home from close range.
Updated
34 mins: Isak and Gordon are two v two against the Wolves defence but the Swede cannot find his winger, the ball pinballs around a little until Ait-Nouri clears.
32 mins: Cunha pings a cross straight at Burn to win a corner for Wolves. It is deep to Ait-Nouri at the back post, he controls it and then wins another corner on the other side, which comes to nothing.
30 mins: Wolves produce a decent break concluding with centre-back Mosquera providing the width on the overlap but his cross is wayward.
28 mins: Bellegarde is the latest Wolves man to drive into the Newcastle box, seeing off Burn and Hall but his shot rises well over the bar. Some promising signs for Wolves are offering nothing in the first quarter of the match.
Gordon, who likes to make the most of things, is writhing around on the floor after a Lemina challenge. He gets up and is absolutely fine.
26 mins: A first glimpse of danger for Newcastle as Semedo gets to the byline and pulls the ball back for Cunha but his shot is immediately blocked by Guimaraes.
24 mins: Gordon breezes past two Wolves defenders to get into the box and takes aim from a tight angle but his shot grazes the outside of the post.
22 mins: “I’m just finishing off a fish finger sandwich from my Sunday shop which I paid for with the £48.50 I didn’t spend on a Molineux seat,” says Peter Higginson. “When I first saw Steve Bull in 1990 I paid £6 and the football was great. Now I can’t remember who’s in the team and don’t care much where we finish so long as we don’t go down. Bring back Nuno!”
Another reminder of the desperation for clubs to price out fans.
20 mins: Newcastle have had three quarters of possession thus far. This is very one-sided.
Gordon goes down on the edge of the box when chasing a ball over the top. He wants a foul after the slightest of contact from Semedo but nothing is given.
18 mins: Cunha drives at the Newcastle defence and wins a throw which gets the Wolves fans pretty excited. The Brazilian then calls for the supporters to make some more noise. It feels like an afternoon where the Molineux crowd need to inspire the team rather than vice versa.
16 mins: Hall and Gordon are looking lively on the left, while Isak is constantly looking to find a little space in order to cause some damage.
Lemina wins the ball on the edge of the box and instigates a counter, only to pass it to Strand Larsen who loses possession.
14 mins: Livramento goes through the back of Bellegarde and Chris Kavanagh rightly awards a free-kick.
12 mins: Wolves finally mount an attack, culminating in Semedo cutting in from the right and drilling a shot with his left but Pope gets out the long barrier to stop it.
Pope’s poor touch from a Hall pass almost allows Cunha to nick it off him but the goalkeeper just about gets the ball away.
10 mins: It is all Newcastle, Wolves have not started yet. They seem happy to let the visitors have the ball and hope for the best at this stage.
8 mins: Isak collects a pass on the halfway line, spins and plays a pass through the Wolves defence for Murphy who shoots first time but Johnstone is able to tip it over.
6 mins: Cunha does his best to drive Wolves over the halfway line but Joelinton is at his side and steals the ball away.
Isak spins to shoot in the Wolves box but Dawson chucks himself in front of it.
4 mins: Gordon chips a cross to the back post but there is one in a Newcastle shirt ready to pounce, allowing Ait-Nouri to head away.
Wolves are yet to make it out of their own half.
2 mins: Newcastle knock the ball around nicely in the first couple of minutes, whereas Wolves’ only involvements are Sam Johnstone sending an aimless long pass and Cunha fouling Livramento.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Here come the teams …
Eddie Howe: “I think there is a lot to come from the team but I think we are in a good place. There is a really good spirit about the group but we know it will be a difficult away day and we need to be at our best.
“It is a good looking bench and we have a strong squad but it is short in numbers.”
Newcastle fan Chris Paraskevas gets in touch: “After three games we have seven points and Eddie Howe is doing his best Ridley Scott Press Tour impersonation every time he sits down for an interview (minus the expletives).
“I know I should be worrying about the present / future, but I still haven’t forgiven the club for the 8-0 A-League All Stars fiasco. It’s my own personal Hereford.
“Until we win by the same scoreline again, I won’t be satisfied and will continue leaving reminders on the club’s Instagram account.
...we are due a big win in the Black Country.”
In case you are wondering, it is chucking it down in Wolverhampton. Should make for a fun encounter – everyone likes football in the rain.
This is the tenth time these two teams have met at Molineux in the Premier League. Seven of those matches have ended in draws.
It’s finished in north London where Arsenal have beaten Tottenham 1-0 thanks to a Gabriel header.
Andre is making his full debut for Wolves and frankly I could tell you next to nothing about him but the club seem to being doing well in the Brazilian market so it will be interesting to see how he performs against an experienced Newcastle midfield.
Fun and games at Newcastle.
Starting lineups
Wolves (4-3-3): Johnstone; Semedo, Mosquera, Dawson, Ait-Nouri; Lemina, Andre, J. Gomes; Bellegarde, Strand Larsen, Cunha
Subs: Sa, Doherty, Bueno, Hwang, R. Gomes, Doyle, Sarabia, Forbs, Guedes
Newcastle (4-3-3): Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton; J Murphy, Isak, Gordon
Subs: Dubravka, Trippier, Tonali, Barnes, Krafth, Osula, Almiron, Kelly, Willock
Preamble
It truly is a never ending rollercoaster of fun in the Premier League as winless Wolves host Newcastle at Molineux. Another summer of being forced to sell their best players has resulted in shaky start for Gary O’Neil’s men as their new arrivals look to fill the gaps left by Maximilian Kilman and Pedro Neto.
In Wolves’ defence they have come up against Arsenal and Chelsea in the opening weeks of the campaign, although shipping six against the Blues at Molineux would have done little for morale.
Newcastle seem to be sold as being crisis over their own struggles in the transfer market but, according to the league table, they are unbeaten thus far, winning two of their opening three fixtures. Last time out they beat Tottenham and a third victory of the season would show that Eddie Howe is still doing a fine job in the north east.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 4.30pm BST
