Allan Saint-Maximin's late equaliser sees Newcastle rescue a point

Wolves 1-1 Newcastle: Allan Saint-Maximin’s superb late equaliser sees Newcastle rescue a point at Molineux to prevent Wolves from getting their first win of the campaign

  • Allan Saint-Maximin nets last minute equaliser to earn Newcastle 1-1 draw 
  • Ruben Neves’ first half goal have Wolverhampton Wanderers the lead 
  • Second half Raul Jimenez strike ruled out by VAR following foul in the build-up 
  • Bruno Lage’s Wolves’ side still waiting for their first three points of the season  
  • Newcastle’s new signing Alexander Isak not registered in time to play the game 

Proof here, should anyone have still needed it, just why both these sides have prioritised signing a striker this summer.

Newcastle have theirs in club record signing Alexander Isak, only he was left to rue the delays of a work permit keeping him out of this one. Wolves are still chasing one of their own.

Trust the easy chances to go astray and two special finishes – the first from Ruben Neves and the second a 90th minute volley from Allan Saint-Maximin – to spare this ending in stalemate.

How fine the margins are, too. With eight minutes left Wolves’ players were celebrating in front of a raucous South Bank after Raul Jimenez made – or at least he thought he did – it 2-0. VAR begged to differ and the goal was chalked off.

Allan Saint-Maximin celebrates scoring a last-minute equaliser against Wolves on Sunday 

The 90th minute strike keeps Newcastle’s unbeaten start to the season for Eddie Howe’s side 

Newcastle, second best for much of this one, took strength from the lifeline handed to them – a correct one, by the way – and as the board went up for eight added minutes, Saint-Maximin showed the watching Isak just why playing in this Newcastle front-line will prove so much fun.

Hwang Hee-Chan, sent on as a late substitute, horribly looped a clearance from inside the area high and not very far. Everyone outside of Saint-Maximin seemed to momentarily freeze as the ball fell onto his right foot and bang. 1-1. Wolves’ winless start goes on.

Wolves’ winless league streak – now at 11 games – is just one shy of their 12-without-a-win they managed back in March 2013 when they were in the Championship.

And for all their dominance Wolves should have lost this in stoppage time. They can thank the width of the crossbar in minute 97 denying Elliot Anderson a late smash-and-grab.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Ruben Neves put Bruno Lage’s side ahead in the first half 

Both managers shuffled their packs after midweek wins in the Carabao Cup. Eddie Howe making eight changes to the team that won at Tranmere while Bruno Lage made five from Wolves’ win over Preston.

One of those eight for Howe was not £60million record signing Isak, though, with his work permit confirmation failing to arrive in time. He had to watch this one from the plush directors’ box.

So, with no Callum Wilson, sidelined with a hamstring problem, it was Chris Wood tasked with leading the line, flanked by Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron.

Walking down Waterloo Road en route to Molineux, all the chat among home fans was of this dismal winless run and the, quite obvious, lack of goals.

And so they needed to start quick – and they did. Nine minutes in Neves produced a special – there is no other word for it – cross-field pass and it was plucked from the sky by Goncalo Guedes.

Newcastle’s new £60million signing Alexander Isak had to watch the game from the stands 

His whipped delivery was met by Pedro Neto, who skipped in front of Nick Pope, but it bobbled over onto the roof of the net, much to the relief of the Newcastle goalkeeper.

Then came the evidence of why Newcastle miss Wilson, and why they have splashed the cash on Isak.

Some penalty box pinball eventually ended up at the feet of Joe Willock who, no more than five yards out, shot wide. Cue disbelief from the Newcastle bench.

Then came a mistake by Nathan Collins on the edge of his own area but Sean Longstaff couldn’t punish it. Truth be told, Newcastle’s forward line here never convinced. It is no surprise Howe is crossing his fingers Wilson is not out for long.

For Wolves, similarly anaemic in attack in their opening three games, they rode out a mini-storm to re-take control of this and after record signing Matheus Nunes was culpable of putting a free header wide moments earlier, they returned to a tried and tested method of breaking the deadlock in these parts.

Wolves thought they had doubled their lead int he season half but VAR ruled out the goal 

Raul Jimenez’s goal was struck off after a foul in the build up on Newcastle’s Ryan Fraser 

The clock was now at 302 minutes and ticking since Daniel Podence’s goal at Leeds. It was always going to take something special to end the barren run.

Neto switched from right to left to find Guedes, he laid it back to a loitering Neves on the edge of the box and as he has done so often he took one touch to set himself before burying it into the bottom corner. An absolute rocket.

It is, however, remarkable that Neves’ outside-the-box threat didn’t seem to register on Newcastle’s scouting report. Make this one his 16th outside the area from his 25 goals for Wolves.

MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS 

WOLVES (4-3-3): Sa (GK) 7; Semedo 6, Collins 6, Kilman 7, Jonny 5.5; Moutinho 7 (Dendoncker 90+7), Nunes 7, Neves 8.5; Guedes 7 (Podence 83), Jimenez 6.5, Neto 7 (Hee-chan 84)

SUBS NOT USED: Sarkic (GK), Ait-Nouri, Mosquera, Toti, Dendoncker, Traore, Campbell

GOALS: Neves (38)

BOOKED: Semedo, Neto

MANAGER: Bruno Lage 6

NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Pope (GK) 7; Trippier 5, Botman 6.5, Schar 6, Burn 4.5 (Targett 65); Longstaff 5, Willock 6 (Murphy 84), Joelinton 6.5; Almiron 6 (Anderson 84), Wood 6 (Fraser 65, 6.5), Saint-Maximin 7

SUBS NOT USED: Darlow (GK), Dummett, Lascelles, Ritchie, Manquillo

BOOKED: Schar

MANAGER: Eddie Howe 6.5

REFEREE: Peter Bankes 7

 

 

Some fans were still filtering into their seats with a half-time coffee in hand when Fabian Schar’s crunching on Pedro Neto was checked for a possible red card. It was late, and high, but it remained a yellow and that seemed about right.

From there Wolves went through the gears and were convinced they’d sealed victory when Pedro Neto robbed substitute Ryan Fraser on the half-time to spark a three-on-one counter-attack. Neto laid it perfectly into the path of Raul Jimenez to tap in, only for VAR to take it back for a foul on Fraser. Wolves’ players were apoplectic at the decision. Truth be told, there was little argument for it to have stood.

But never count Newcastle out. Heading here, only Liverpool (53), Manchester City (50) and Tottenham (48) have claimed more Premier League points than Newcastle (43). Things are happening and Saint-Maximin is a big part of that, as he proved with the volleyed equaliser.




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