Four things we learned after Wolves crashed to a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle to damage their European hopes.
It was a poor performance from Wolves with the visitors unable to cope with Newcastle’s counter-attacking play.
Two goals from the hosts in the first half really put the game out of sight for Gary O’Neil’s side before they rounded off the win with a third late on.
The club were unable to follow up their win over Brighton at Molineux and have now fallen to 10th in the Premier League, four points off Europe.
Now, looking back on the game, we analyse four things we learned from the fixture.
Wolves concede early again
A theme that has happened time and time again this season. Wolves just cannot seem to keep their defensive wit about them in the opening exchanges of games this season.
Wolves started the better team at St. James’ Park and looked the more likely to score early on. However, one poor pass from Rayan Ait-Nouri allowed Newcastle to counter and score.
While the goal may have been unfortunate due to Craig Dawson’s deflection, the side have once again conceded first in the opening 20 minutes. This has happened multiple times this campaign against teams such as Spurs, Nottingham Forest and Brentford.
Defensive collapse in Newcastle vs Wolves
After such a good defensive display against Brighton, Wolves concede three very avoidable goals against Newcastle.
After a poor opener, the visitors fell off with the defence unable to produce answers to repel Newcastle’s attack. This was on full show with the second, as Jose Sa and Max Kilman both were at fault, allowing Anthony Gordan to tap the ball into an open net.
Then, after a better performance in the second half, the defence once again collapse late on as a Newcastle player was able to ghost around the defenders before poking home.
If Wolves want to get Europe, the defence must be more consistent. They cannot go from a performance against Brighton to play like that against Newcastle.
Injuries finally catch up with Wolves
Wolves had been quite fortunate with injuries so far this season. Despite missing Pedro Neto in late 2023, few others have missed a big period of game time.
That was until February. Since the 4-2 victory over Chelsea, Wolves have lost Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-Chan and Joao Gomes. These three were evidently a big miss for the visitors at St. James’ Park.
Wolves were already short on attacking options but without Joao Gomes, O’Neil’s side didn’t have the midfield secure and were very susceptible to counter-attacks.
Things only got worse as the game went on with Pedro Neto and Jose Sa both forced off at half-time after picking up knocks.
Time for Nathan Fraser to start?
Without Hwang Hee-Chan, Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha, Wolves looked extremely blunt up top. Little same off and despite some good chances, were unable to find the net.
However, one positive performance came from Nathan Fraser. The striker came on at half-time and offered more of a focal point in attack.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde does not work as an attacker and his talents are being wasted out of position. Against Fulham, O’Neil should give Fraser a go, especially if many of the attackers are still out.