Magpies can’t keep the Wolves from the door at the death
KEEPER CLANGERS ENSURE POINTS SHARED IN MIDLANDS
NEWCASTLE United were stunned by a late Wolverhampton Wanderers equaliser which cost them two points in their battle for survival.
The Magpies were so close to a much-needed away league win but crumbled in the final seconds of stoppage time as Willy Boly powered home a back-post header.
United had defended brilliantly for much of the game thanks to Isaac Hayden’s second-half strike put them in pole position for victory.
But just as Martin Dubravka looked like he had recovered from his Wembley howler, he failed to grab Adama Traore’s cross and was beaten by Boly.
The error resulted in Dubravka and Jamaal Lascelles squabbling as Wolves players celebrated wildly around them. Was it a push on the Slovakian goalkeeper? Either way, Newcastle didn’t deal with a routine set-play after sticking to their game plan for the previous 93 minutes. United jet out for a mid-season training camp today and there will be plenty of time together to discuss how it all went wrong in added time.
The first glimpse of goal arrived after four minutes when Newcastle failed to clear their lines and the ball dropped for Jonny Otto, but he seemed to get caught in two minds and rolled it wide of Dubravka’s goal. United responded immediately by working the ball into the box for Salomon Rondon but he struck the ball straight at Rui Patricio. Moments later Sean Longstaff picked out DeAndre Yedlin but his Lee Ryder effort did not trouble the Sporting Lisbon and Portugal legend.
On 13 minutes, Florian Lejeune lost the ball in the middle of the field but Raul Jimenez didn’t make the most of it before Jamaal Lascelles got his team-mate out of trouble.
Wolves came forward again on 17 minutes with Jimenez bundling his way into the area but Christian Atsu’s firm challenge stopped him in his tracks and while the home fans appealed for a penalty, referee Graham Scott waved away the protests.
Newcastle tried to apply pressure on the Wolves goal after 27 minutes as Hayden won the ball before Longstaff’s shot was blocked.
The ball was then moved swiftly up the other end of the pitch for a counter-attack with Lejeune’s vital flick to deny Jimenez denting the home side’s chance of an opener inside the first half-hour.
The best chance of the half for Wanderers arrived when Jimenez cut inside and fired a deflected shot at Dubravka, who tipped the ball to safety with 36 minutes gone.
Was it a push on the Slovakian goalkeeper? Either way, Newcastle didn’t deal with a routine set-play