Wolves Fans' Verdict v Newcastle: Memorable day at St James' Park

Gulraj Kular (Musings from Molineux)

What's your verdict on the match?

I do love a weekend in the North East. They're a welcoming bunch, although from a footballing perspective this hasn't always been the happiest of hunting grounds.

If you had to describe this performance in a word it would be mixed. We started the game really well, with our fluid, pacy front three having plenty of opportunities to run at the Newcastle defence. On the face of it, we lacked a reference point up front and my brother was keen to point out that we couldn't really cross the ball into the box and expect much to happen. Cue Helder Costa clipping the ball into Diogo Jota's chest and finishing in a very tidy manner.

From thereon though, that lack of a focal point did seem to hinder us and Newcastle got themselves back in the game. Benitez famously enjoys stifling football matches, but his defence was there to be got at. Except, the ball wasn't sticking. Added to the fact Salomon Rondon was causing some menace up front without threatening the goal and it became quite a turgid, frustrating game.

The red card seemed to play into Newcastle's hands as they went into full turtle mode, with Rondon the out ball and briefed to win as many free kciks as possible. He consistently lured us into this trap and some naive defending never allowed us to build any kind of momentum. going forward.

But we were nothing if not persistent and we were rewarded. Nuno made some positive changes and we ended it with the same front three that defeated Chelsea. It will be interesting to see how Nuno manages the busy festive period as he goes from The Stubborn Man to the Tinker Man.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Diogo Jota was the standout player. He's got the bit between his teeth since his birthday and his goal against Chelsea. He's not always the most refined of our forwards but his tenacity and drive is what took us to victory here.

Willy Boly, despite his unfortunate stray elbow, was a colossus at the back, winning header after header. His strolling performances in the Championship have given way to some seriously purposeful and stoic displays at this level and he really is showing he belongs at this level now.

The other display I wanted to highlight was Joao Moutinho. It's often overlooked how much of a class act he is and the narrative in recent weeks has been how he's getting crowded out of games. But his calm authority added an extra tempo to our passing that was badly required towards the end of the game.

Helder Costa was largely anonymous despite his assist and he looks as if he could do with a spell out of the team now.

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match?

Wow, a week can be a long time in football.

It just goes to show that the margin between success and failure can be minuscule.

We were not that bad against Cardiff; we were not that good against Newcastle.

Nuno showed his worth, once again, making three changes to the starting 11. I was pleased to see Saiss alongside Neves in midfield and a little surprised that Costa got the nod over Cavaleiro. He also made timely substitutions which impacted positively to see us get a deserved win.

We took an early lead when an excellent Costa cross found Jota unmarked in the box. Jota is looking sharp now and we can expect goals from him in the second half of the season. When Newcastle hit the bar a short time later, a moments lack of concentration from our defence paved the way for a Newcastle headed equaliser.

We were not at our best, but kept pushing forward for the win, while Newcastle were wasting time and making late substitutions to wind the clock down. The red card gave Wolves the advantage for the last half hour. Nuno responded immediately by bringing on Jimenez and Gibbs-White which gave us more forward options. Jimenez hit the bar.

Although it was frustrating and time was quickly slipping away, I remained confident as we entered into added time that we would create another chance to win it. We were dominating possession and patiently trying to play our way through to goal.

Though it was late, the goal when it came was a worthy winner.

Moutinho won the ball on the edge of our box, played a one-two with Vinagre before playing the ball through to Jota on the half way line. He dribbled through 5 Newcastle defenders who backed off, before shooting. Matt Doherty had run 70 yards from box to box and anticipated perfectly the chance of a rebound to head home.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Jota had a great game and was the standout player. He’s had a slow start to the season, but is looking sharp now and was involved in all the key aspects of this game. Costa was more subdued but played an excellent cross for Jota’s goal.

Our defence were mostly comfortable, but looked vulnerable to to the aerial threat of Rondon and Perez. Neves and Saiss were good together. It’s hard on Moutinho, but this is my favoured midfield pairing. That said, Moutinho came on for the last 20 minutes and played very well. That substitution probably won us the game.

Jimenez and Gibbs-White did well, showing the strength we now have available on the bench. Traore looked a little lost in a central role. I think he has got a role to play for us, but as a wide man, most likely coming from the bench.

It all made for a happy trek home. St James Park is a great stadium to visit. It appears to have lost its heart, with 47,000 home fans quiet for 85 minutes of the game. I hope they get an owner that their loyalty deserves soon.

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match?

The performance definitely wasn’t one for the history books but the result certainly was!

Newcastle away is always a game I look forward to, we have had some great results at St James Park, this game was always going to be an interesting one.

The team selection certainly did add to the interest! Have to say I'm still a bit baffled by the changes, I will never understand Traore starting and I just don’t know what Gibbs-White has to do to retain his place!! I’m sure Nuno had a plan.

That being said, we started the game relatively well, moving the ball well and we began to take control of the game. One difference I have seen in wolves over the past week is us actually taking advantage of us being on top in a game.

Performance wise I wouldn’t say Costa played that well, he gave away possession a lot and was very light weight at times but the did also play a huge part in the first turning point of the game. After breaking free he put in a perfect cross to Jota who finished excellently.

The fact he was able to keep his cool and score his second goal in a week is almost unbelievable compared to his performances up to this week! I mean from a Newcastle perspective you would really have to question the defence but still an excellent excellent finish from Jota.

We continued to have control of the game and looked more likely to score again than to concede but we are Wolves, its never going to be that easy! Rondon’s free kick brought back memories of Neves' rockets last year, he was unlucky to not score but we just did not get organised quickly enough and it was an easy finish for Perez.

The equaliser really took the wind out of us and we just fell apart, giving away possession constantly, Neves and Costa being the main culprits, our creative flair completely disappeared, thankfully Newcastle were just the same – to be honest it was a pretty dire rest of the half.

The start of the second half unfortunately started just the same as the first half finished and both sets of fans were growing increasingly frustrated. It was really difficult to see how a team was going to break through.

Then came turning point number two, Newcastle's red card! Jota had caused issues for Newcastle all game and if anyone was going to change the game it would be him. Watching it live, the moment Yedlin took him down it was a straight red 100%. From the angle we were at he was last man back and Jota was through for a goal scoring opportunity. After watching replays I see to an extend why Newcastle would be a bit disgruntled as there was another player tracking across but I do still think it was the right decision if we are taking the rules of the game as they currently stand... and we all know Mike Dean loves to do that!!

The other seemingly controversial moment of the second half was Boly’s “elbow”… watching it live I didn’t even spot it but to be fair anyone that has been to Newcastle knows you are so high up it is hard to spot anything! Watching replays again I can see to an extent what Newcastle were saying but it is obvious Boly doesn’t see the player, his eye is on the ball all the times. Knowing who the referee was though we should count ourselves lucky that is wasn’t spotted….there would have only been one ending!!

Newcastle going down to 10 men was not always necessarily going to be a good thing, as we all know Wolves don’t always cope well against 10 men. Newcastle did completely shut up shop and Wolves looked pretty poor to be honest, if anything I thought Newcastle were going to nick a late winner.

Out of nowhere Wolves woke up when Jimenez smacked the underside of the bar with a superb shot – he is another player who all of a sudden looks completely different!! Our final change was the final turning point of the game in my opinion.

The introduction of Moutinho pushed Gibbs-White further up field while Moutinho was then winning the ball back in vital areas and driving us forward. We had a number of chances in the final few minutes but it just looked like it wasn’t to be our day. One thing I will always say about Nuno’s Wolves is that they never give up so seeing five minutes injury time was a blessing, we had the commitment there all we needed was one glimmer of class…enter Jota!

After an amazing break down field Jota was unlucky not to score but Doherty was exactly where he needed to be to head us home…it was absolute chaos in the away end!!

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

How different do things look compared to a week ago? There has been one key change in the past week…the rejuvenation of Diogo Jota.

He has been amazing for the past two games, his confidence is growing and growing and deserves all the praise he has been getting. He was my man of the match for sure, he caused chaos for Newcastle all game and was a key part in all the game changing moments.

Aside from Jota it was a mixed bag from the rest of the team, we had moments where the team looked unbeatable then moments where we just looked completely useless.

I was completely dreading our December fixtures but all of a sudden things look completely different. Hopefully we can continue to kick on and finish our 2018 strong.

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match?

Anyone familiar with the away end at St James Park will know it is up in the gods. Well those gods were at least on our side.

Our passing was disappointing, we failed to keep possession well enough and it meant Newcastle had a lot of the ball in our half.

Rondon was their target man and we struggled to win the ball back when it was played to him.

There was a lot more long balls from Wolves as we tried to utilise the pace of our front three. It was not a great success but we did manage to craft a goal when two forwards combined. Costa twisted and turned and managed to put in a perfect cross that found the seemingly outnumbered Jota at the far post. Between two defenders he had so much time it almost seemed slow motion as he controlled the ball and fired it into the net.

Throughout the game we gave away far too many fouls. Our last two games (both won!) has seen us get nine yellow cards and concede 35 fouls. Too many of the free kicks were close to our box. One of these led to the equaliser when the initial shot was cleared after hitting the bar, only to be crossed back and headed in. Coady allowed his man to get a flicked header in front of him. Our lead had only lasted five minutes.

It had been fairly even by the break as we looked a threat on counter attacks while defensively we had to win headers in our own box. The second half continued the same way until the hour mark. Jota had looked lively and his press won the ball back in the left channel. He was pulled back and fouled just outside the box. The ref showed the red card as Jota would have had only the keeper to beat. On the side lines Rafa looked like he did not fully agree with the decision.

The game became even more open then but ironically Newcastle looked just as dangerous despite being a man down. While we patiently played the ball about Newcastle had runners who frequently cut through out midfield like it was not there.

By then we had brought Jimenez and MGW on for Traore and Saiss. Both soon got involved in the final third. We continued to build up slowly though and allowed Newcastle to get all ten men behind the ball. We never looked likely to break them down from that position. Thankfully rather than looking to keep their point Newcastle pressed forward and that allowed us to play on the counter and look equally likely to score.

The late late winning goal was perfect. A Jota break saw him go from half way into their box before shooting. The parried save fell perfectly for Doc to nod in from a couple of yards. Perfect. West Ham away all over again.

It was our day even though we probably played better at Leicester and Brighton where we lost both games. Seven points out of the last eight games is not too bad a return while in a 'crisis'.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Patricio had some saves to make, all of which he made look routine. He had no chance with the goal.

Doherty grew into the game gradually. He had not managed to get close to the by-line, playing mainly behind Costa. Having earlier looked weary he somehow found a second wind late on. Unlucky with a hard low shot near the end, he then managed to put in a lung busting seventy yard run to send us all delirious.

Vinagre was frequently involved in moves but produced little end product. Wasteful in possession he was better mopping up when needed to defend.

Like in many games Boly started by giving the ball away carelessly but he improved and was needed to win numerous headers in the box. One challenge left a man on the floor in our box but it was hard to see the level of contact.

It was not one of Coady's best games. He seemed rushed in possession and gave the ball away with too many clearing headers.

Bennett looked too slow at times when he was being run at. Did well in the air on several free kicks and crosses.

After a game off Neves was still not his normal self. With few trademark diagonal passes so he had to chase, harry, tackle and recycle the ball. I did see him in the opposition box at one point though, but not with the ball.

Saiss did a decent job for an hour. Charged with trying to spoil things and do the dirty stuff in midfield he did well. He even controlled himself and avoided a booking.

Jota is back with his mojo. How good is that!?

Man of the match. His quick feet and balance meant he was always a threat. We are a much better attacking team when he is on form and has that extra time on the ball.

Traore playing up the middle still looks like a work in progress. If the idea is for him to get the ball higher up the field it has not really happened yet. In the centre it is easier for him to be crowded out, less so when he is wide.

Costa put in a perfect cross for the opening goal but besides that he was poor. Without the ball he was a passenger and a luxury we could not afford. With no goals and, until today, no assists, Nuno must see something more in him than I can spot.

From the bench Jimenez and MGW came on to play against the ten men. With fresh legs they helped us get slightly more momentum and both contributed in the final third. Jimenez hit the bar while a MGW dummy set up a chance for Doherty.

Moutinho made a huge contribution in the winner. Winning the ball deep and then playing it forward to Jota.

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match?

Nothing beats a last minute winner in football, the feeling of winning it at the death is the best and in some ways feels better than winning a game comfortably.

Nowhere near our best performance but there’s been plenty of times this season where we’ve drew/lost when we should have had a better result so yesterday kind of makes up for that.

It was an interesting team selection but I can only imagine he rested a few key players ahead of a busy schedule. The three players he rested in Gibbs-White, Jimenez and Moutinho made the difference in the end and can only assume they’ll be back in the starting XI against Bournemouth.

Taking the lead is important for us and at 1-0 we looked to be causing problems on the counter, however, once we conceded we struggled to get any real control for the rest of the first half.

DeAndre Yedlin’s red card was deserved and everyone with a footballing brain knows that. It’s not always easy to break down 10 men as we found out against Everton in the opening game of the season and then yesterday too.

Thankfully we got a breakthrough in the end and for Doherty to run 75 yards or so up the pitch at that time and head in a rebound just goes to show the effort we did put in. Fantastic run from Jota too and I can’t believe no Newcastle defender tried to tackle him, it was if they were escorting him to their box for a free shot at goal.

It’s hilarious how Benitez and some Newcastle fans are going on about Boly’s “elbow” but don’t mention Lascelles smashing his arm into Traore’s throat to bring him down.

Boly only had eyes for the ball and had no idea Perez was there, it was never ever a red card or a penalty but then Lascelles looked at Traore and definitely knew what he was doing and within the rules of the game, it’s a red card.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Willy Boly seemingly has the whole of Newcastle on strings. He was a rock at the back, our best central defender yesterday by far.

Diogo Jota had to be man of the match, scorer of the first where he had so much time and space to take a touch and shoot, he could never miss. He was so important for the winner too, seemed to carry the ball forever where the Newcastle defence just let him run and run, which you can’t do and we punished them for it.

Matt Doherty full of running up and down that wing once again and what a fantastic week he’s had. To run as far as he did and gamble on a chance at the back post paid off and huge credit has to be given to him for taking that risk.

Costa apart from his assist was very poor and I’ll be shocked if he starts again next week. I don’t know what’s happened to him, he was unreal at Arsenal. I just want the old Costa back when we first signed him where he took risks and wasn’t afraid to beat people using his pace to his advantage.

Traore wasn’t great either, although he was in an unnatural striker position. He’s still an impact player for me because when the opposition defence is tired and they the fastest player in the premier league and the world coming on, it will make them panic.

Neves wasn’t at his best again but Moutinho came on and made a difference having that three in midfield again. Could maybe see the same team against Bournemouth that started against Chelsea but Nuno loves Neves and he’s never dropped him in a league game when he’s been available so it will be interesting.

Gibbs-White and Jimenez made a huge difference when coming on and both simply have to start against Bournemouth. The Mexican forward is so integral in that striker position in terms of how play, his goals and assists have been crucial.

Gibbs-White is a baller it’s as simple as that. Such a good asset to have when he’s on the ball and I’m sure every wolves fan just wants to keep seeing him play as much as possible where he’ll we only keep improving.

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match?

We tend to do well in Geordieland and tthis was no different, but we left it late despite looking capable of winning since the first minute.

Viewing from the gods, it made it difficult to see the main incidents but only two really mattered and the last-minute winner was just deserts for the travelling involved for another daft o'clock kick off.

It all heralded a few rousing renditions of Bonnie Tyler's classic (?!) 'It's A Heartache', but quite where that came from I don't know.