Making it five games unbeaten and continuing our turn in fortunes from the new year, Wolves managed to hold Newcastle to a well-fought draw and keep back-to-back clean sheets at home in the league.
Following an end to end first half in which neither side could take full control, the visitors threatened the Wolves defence much more frequently in the second half as the Magpies were able to control the tempo and tire the struggling Wolves side. However, the deadlock could not be broken, despite many enticing crosses from the visitors that threatened Jose Sa’s clean sheet. A resilient defensive performance which began from the front saw Rob Edwards’ side cling onto a well-deserved point.
With that in mind, here are my player ratings.
Jose Sa – 7/10
Sa made a handful of good saves, especially in the second half. He managed to hold his ground on corners, as Newcastle employed the ‘Arteta special’ tactic, which consists of having about half of their team stood on the goal line. He seems to be gaining his confidence back, aided by the now stable backline in front of him.
Jackson Tchatchoua – 6.5/10
If you read my player ratings for the 1-1 draw against Everton, you’d know how I feel about Jackson. Once again, he offered nothing going forward; however, there were multiple occasions where his pace saved us from being hit on the counterattack following our failed corners, making important tackles as the last man back. Hopefully, this can fill him with some confidence going forward.
Yerson Mosquera – 9/10
My Man of the Match. What a performance. Nothing got past Mosquera defensively, and he played a key role in carrying the team up the pitch with his offensive runs.
Santiago Bueno – 7/10
You would think that, up against Nick Woltemade, Santi might struggle aerially. However, he did very well and rarely gave Woltemade a sniff. We look much more comfortable with Santi in the middle of the back three, so, if Agbadou is on his way out, I think we’re in relatively safe hands.
Ladislav Krejci – 7/10
Like the rest of the defence, Krejci put in a solid performance. A few misplaced passes, but nothing serious.
Hugo Bueno – 8.5/10
Week after week, Hugo keeps proving why he has made that left-wing back position his own following Ait-Nouri’s departure. He offers so much going forward and was solid defensively. It’s unfortunate that he’s partnered with Hwang when attacking, because there’s probably even more that we could get out of him going forward.
Andre – 7.5/10
Another good performance from Andre, battling against his fellow Brazilians and showing them who’s boss.
Joao Gomes – 8/10
As the chant goes, he was quite literally everywhere today. I really hope we can keep hold of him until the end of the season, because he’s such a joy to watch.
Hwang Hee-Chan – 6/10
Surprisingly, when Hwang dropped deep to receive the ball, he didn’t give it away, which I think is the first time that’s ever happened. He did okay. Considering that we didn’t have much of a chance to attack in the second half, I’ll be kind to him this time.
Tolu Arokodare – 7/10
Up against the big Botman, Tolu held his own and won most of his battles. Once again, he proved why he starts over Strand Larsen, despite his hat-trick last week. He’s such a good asset to have with that height and hold-up play.
Mateus Mane – 6.5/10
Mane looked lively at points in the first half; however, when we came under pressure in the second half, he soon started to tire and did exceptionally well to last the 90 minutes. It’s a lot to ask for from an 18-year-old, starting this many Premier League games in a row.
Substitutes:
Jorgen Strand Larsen – 6.5/10
He didn’t see much of the ball, but when he did, he made good use of it, coming close once or twice. I’d still like to see him play in partnership with Tolu, but who knows how much longer he’ll be around for?
Jhon Arias – 6/10
He didn’t look out of place against the Newcastle midfield that usually dominates physically.
Rodrigo Gomes – N/A
Arguably, Rodrigo should have been subbed on 15 minutes earlier. We were crying out for some more energy in those last 20 minutes.
