DOHERTY HEADER SEES OFF 10-MAN MAGPIES
NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 WOLVES 2
Doherty snatched victory deep into stoppage time as 10-man Newcastle succumbed to defeat against Wolves.
The Magpies looked to have claimed a hard-earned point despite having DeAndre Yedlin sent off 11 minutes into the second half, but the wing-back headed the visitors to a second straight victory in the fourth minute of added time.
Martin Dubravka had been left helpless with 17 minutes gone when Helder Costa’s cross sailed over Jamaal Lascelles and Diogo Jota controlled on his chest before firing home from point-blank range.
The visitors might have doubled their lead within three minutes had Costa managed to make contact with Jota’s low cross after Adama Traore had once again outstripped the home defence, but they were soon pegged back.
Defender Ryan Bennett was penalised for a foul on Ayoze Perez 25 yards out and after Salomon Rondon’s freekick had hit the underside of the crossbar and the rebound was cleared, the Venezuelan striker crossed for Perez to plant a fine header past Rui Patricio.
Rondon then tested the Portugal goalkeeper with a skidding long-range effort and Federico Fernandez headed a Ki Sung-yueng cross straight at Patricio.
Having replaced Fernandez with Javier Manquillo at the break, Rafael Benitez was forced to reshuffle once again within 11 minutes when Yedlin was dismissed for hauling back Jota after being caught in possession.
Sensing an opportunity to snatch three points, opposite number Nuno Espirito Santo responded immediately, sending on Morgan GibbsWhite and Raul Jimenez for Romain Saiss and Traore.
Ciaran Clark had to make a timely intervention to prevent Doherty from making the most of Gibbs-White’s 72nd-minute through-ball, but the visitors largely struggled to make their numerical advantage count.
However, the frame of the goal came to Newcastle’s rescue with 14 minutes remaining when Gibbs-White and Costa set up Jimenez to race away on the left, only to see him shot come back off the underside of the crossbar.
Dubravka pulled off a flying save to deny Doherty an 81st-minute winner as the visitors broke with Perez lying in the opposition penalty area with a facial injury after being caught by a Willy Boly elbow, which sparked an angry exchange between the two benches.
Wolves struck the winner four minutes into stopMatt page time. Dubravka made a superb save to prevent Jota from ending a mazy run with a goal but looked on helplessly as Doherty headed the rebound into the empty net.