Wolves are now winless in four Premier League games, after Newcastle edged a difficult game through a debut goal from Nick Woltemade. Wolves made a very bright start in the opening ten minutes, going agonisingly close with chances from Hee-Chan Hwang and Rodrigo Gomes, but that pressure and intensity born within those minutes fizzled as the match went on. Ultimately, Newcastle’s record-breaking acquisition was the difference in a forgettable affair for Vítor’s men.
Sam Johnstone – 7
Johnstone made a wonder save in the first half to keep things all square, keeping Jacob Murphy from scoring. The goal Wolves conceded was an almost inch-perfect header, so it’s hard to piece any of the blame on Johnstone, and he did well in possession.
Toti – 7
The Wolves captain had the best game amongst the back three. He defended from the left relatively well and made eight recoveries. He had a much better game today than he did at Everton and will be disappointed to not walk away with a clean sheet.
Yerson Mosquera – 6
Mosquera was very lucky to still be on the pitch after bringing Harvey Barnes down in the first half. He had some good defensive moments but also some shaky ones, but he did make some good passes through the lines.
Emmanuel Agbadou – 5
If you were to blame anyone for the goal, it would probably be Agbadou – but it wasn’t as glaring an error as we’ve seen from him since the turn of the season. Wolves did stay solid in their shape for the majority of the game, but more is still expected of Agbadou.
Hugo Bueno – 8
Bueno had yet another impressive outing in a Wolves shirt, this time as an inverted wing-back. He stood out today with impressive running and ball carrying, and put some dangerous crosses in. He also looked very assured in defence and kept Newcastle’s forward players at bay for the majority of the game.
Rodrigo Gomes – 7
It was a frustrating day for Gomes, having arguably Wolves’ best chances inside the first 10 minutes. Had he put them away he may have gone on to have a great game, but after Wolves dropped out of first gear he struggled to move forward and create chances.
Joao Gomes – 6
Joao had a decent game, recovered the ball well and played with intensity in Wolves’ best spell in the first half. Towards the end of the game, he struggled to break from the Wolves half and move the ball into forward positions. He was pressing all game however and showed relentless energy.
André – 6
André was quite anonymous in his time at St. James’ Park. He did complete every single one of his passes, and recovered the ball well at times, but in a midfield three that is very defensive in its qualities, it’s difficult to make things happen.
Ladislav Krejci – 6
Krejci picked up a yellow card very quickly into his Wolves’ career, which may be a sign of things to come as he put himself about a lot to try and win the ball back. He didn’t offer a great deal going forward however, but did do a fine job at centre half once he’d moved there. Clearly a very useful player in there for Wolves.
Hee-Chan Hwang – 5
Hwang was not short of effort and nearly put Wolves ahead early on and forced a save from Nick Pope, and also nearly fed Arokodare a debut goal. Unfortunately, his link up play really let him down as the minutes ticked by and he struggled to stay in the game.
Tolu Arokodare – 5
The former Genk striker held the ball up well at times and made an instant impact on his first attempt, sending Rodrigo Gomes through on goal. A serious lack of service meant that he had scraps to feed on all game, which isn’t exactly up to him, but at times he would drift out wide and receive the ball when he should be in the box.
Substitutes
Marshall Muntetsi – 4
Unfortunately for Munetsi, not a single forward move came off that went through him when he came on. He attempted seven passes and only three of them came off which is a poor display when you’re chasing a game.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde – 5
Bellegarde had some good moments off the bench but struggled to make any use of the ball when he had possession. Excluding the rarity of a pass into the final third, he didn’t offer us much to hurt Newcastle.
Jhon Arias – 5
Arias could not get a foothold in the game and struggled to create anything meaningful. He showed good energy but couldn’t hold onto the ball for long enough to do anything, and didn’t seem to want to take any defenders on.
Fer Lopez – 6
The Spaniard came on and tried to make things happen, but Wolves as a whole didn’t seem interested in getting forward and creating chances until the very last minute. Perhaps a sub that should have been made earlier.
Jackson Tchatchoua – 5
It was odd to watch once the right-back had come on, as Wolves seemed to exclusively break down the left – not allowing Tchatchoua to use any of his pace. He didn’t do anything of note in his cameo, but it felt like his abilities weren’t used to their fullest.
Written by Jack Johnson
