MATT’S GOTTA HURT
Perez 23 RAFA BENITEZ turned away in disgust. Nuno Espirito Santo led a mass celebration.
Matt Doherty had just ensured a bitter and controversial end to a spirited 10-man Newcastle resistance, with a winner for the visitors four minutes into added time.
For Wolves a second consecutive victory, after beating Chelsea last week, ending a poor run of form.
But for Newcastle, a return to fretting about relegation.
This was their seventh defeat Jota 17, Doherty 90’+4 in nine league games on their own turf this season. St James’ Park has not been a lucky home.
The stand-out player, Diogo Jota, and relentless, hard running full-back Doherty, were at the centre of the dramatic finale.
Jota jinked and twisted his way into the penalty area, exploiting an exhausted and depleted Newcastle defence, before shooting.
The brilliant Martin Dubravka saved, but Doherty, who had run 70 yards to get into the box, nodded home.
What came before was dramatic, entertaining, and controversial. Two goals, a red card, an elbow in the face that should have been a penalty and a second dismissal.
First Jota’s opener. Wolves were given time to pass around on the right with Doherty involved, before Helder Costa dinked in a deep cross. Deandre Yedlin was initially marking Jota but passed him on to Jamaal Lascelles. But the centre-back let Jota drift off his shoulder to chest and volley home.
It was his second of the season, after turning his loan from Atletico Madrid last year into a £12.3million move. The lead lasted just six minutes.
Salomon Rondon rocked the bar with a free-kick and then collected the rebound wide on the right and crossed for Ayoze Perez to flick the ball home with a lovely header. In the last home