WONKY WALL WOLVES WOE
Murphy grabs late point for Toon after Patricio error
IT WAS a grey game barely deserving of the two f i ne goals that splashed some belated colour, but it was just about ri ght that they cancelled each other out.
Wolves will certainly feel the more aggrieved, especially as they dominated territory and seized the lead 10 minutes from time only for Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy to equalise with a crafty free-kick in the dying moments.
But the hosts cannot call an injustice, even though Murphy’s effort was the first on target by a visiting player. For Wolves were too erratic in the final third to make a convincing case for a deserved victory.
Their scorer, Raul Jimenez, tested the stewards collecting wayward shots behind the goal more than he did goalkeeper Karl Darlow for the best part of the afternoon. But Nuno Espirito Santo seldom substitutes the Mexican — he has played every minute this season — and his 20-yard volley to break both the deadlock and the boredom was evidence enough as to why he stays on the pitch.
Jimenez, it seemed, was set for an 11th winning goal since the start of the last campaign and that is more than any other Premier League player. But his brilliance was to be undone by the stupidity of his team-mates.
Firstly, captain Conor Coady gave away a needless free-kick when jumping into the back of
Callum Wilson who was going nowhere 25 yards from goal. It was still a position from which a special strike would be needed to score. But Murphy was aided by the assembly of a poor defensive wall, allowing him to whip a low shot around its near side.
Rui Patricio scrambled across his goal but could only shovel the ball into the net — and there was no digging him out of the hole in which he found himself with his boss.
‘We made a mistake with the set up of the wall,’ said Nuno. ‘It was not correct. Everybody knows if the ball goes over the wall, OK. If it goes to the side then the goalkeeper should be there. But it should not go in at the near post. It cannot go in the goal on that side.’
Nuno was right but he did also accept their shortcomings elsewhere. ‘We played well in terms of possession but we didn’t test the goalkeeper too many times,’ he added. ‘We played all of the second half on the attack but we need to find better solutions. We need to work on that final moment.’
Murphy’s intervention salvaged a much-needed point for Steve Bruce after another week of t actical s crutiny f oll owing Newcastle’s 4-1 home defeat by Manchester United.
Bruce’s selection, showing four changes and a fifth formation of the season, felt like a spin of the wheel. But the Magpies boss keeps landing on the same numbers — the ones where his side have little possession and few shots on goal but cede plenty to the opposition.
Bruce fielded four wingers here but none were posted on the wing. Perhaps the randomness of it all threw Wolves who, while starting brightly and registering four shots inside 15 minutes, ran out of ideas very quickly.
Then again, Wolves just don’t do first halves. This was the sixth game since the opening day in which they have failed to score before the break. Indeed, Wolves would have been relegated last season had matches expired after 45 minutes.
Only Daniel Podence drew a save before the interval, a fifthminute drive that Darlow did well to repel. But he was a spectator thereafter, much like opposite number Patricio. His only call of duty in the opening 45 minutes was a routine change of direction to gather Allan SaintMaximin’s deflected shot.
Home f orward Pedro Neto should have scored early in the second half when steering over from 12 yards. He had time and space to do better but instead sent the fluorescent jackets on a retrieval errand. It was a recurring theme, such was the errant nature of Wolves’ finishing. WOLVES (3-4-3): Patricio 5; Boly 6, Coady 6, Kilman 6; Semedo 6.5, Dendoncker 6, Neves 6.5 (Moutinho 83min), Saiss 6 (Marcal 68, 5.5); Podence 6 (Traore 68, 6.5), Jimenez 6.5, Neto 6. Subs not used: Ruddy, Hoever, Ait-Nouri, Silva. Scorer: Jimenez 80. Manager: Nuno Espirito Santo 6.
NEWCASTLE (5-3-1-1): Darlow 6; MURPHY 7, Schar 5, Lascelles 6 (Carroll 88), Fernandez 6, Lewis 6.5; Fraser 6 (Joelinton 78), Hendrick 6, Almiron 6.5; Saint-Maximin 5 (S Longstaff 78); Wilson 5.5. Subs not used: Gillespie, Hayden, Krafth, Manquillo. Scorer: Murphy 89. Booked: Almiron.
Manager: Steve Bruce 5. Referee: Lee Mason 7.