An early contender for Wolves’ goal of the season award, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde got his side back on terms in some style against Nottingham Forest two weekends ago, rifling in a terrific long-range goal just two minutes after Chris Wood headed in the opener.
The second strike that O’Neil’s men craved eluded them, although that 1-1 draw at the City Ground at least got Sunday’s hosts off the mark for the new campaign following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Arsenal (2-0) and Chelsea (6-2) in their first two contests.
While O’Neil’s men bid to make it third time lucky in the top flight, a 2-0 success over Burnley in the EFL Cup saw the hosts restore a small sense of pride as they languish in the Premier League relegation zone, thanks in no small part to their atrocious defensive display against Chelsea.
That six-goal slaughter at the hands of the Blues also represented Wolves’ fifth defeat from their last six Premier League matches at Molineux, during which time they have conceded 15 goals at a rate of 2.5 per match, only beating Luton Town in the process.
Furthermore, Wolves’ only Premier League home clean sheet of 2024 so far came against former whipping boys Sheffield United in February, which spells danger against a Newcastle side who have not been shut out in any of their four fixtures this season.
There would be no repeat of the 6-1 annihilation or 4-0 thrashing when Tottenham Hotspur paid a visit to St James’ Park a fortnight ago, but Newcastle still managed to extend their sequence of home wins against the North London troupe on a day where three men in black and white found the back of the net.
Unfortunately for Dan Burn, his contribution came at the wrong end of the field, but the defender’s blushes were spared by Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes as Eddie Howe‘s men made it three wins from four in all competitions during a flying start to 2024-25.
Lying fifth in the rankings on account of their impressive early-season exploits, Newcastle have also bettered Southampton in the Premier League and Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup either side of their contentious Bournemouth draw, where without VAR their unbeaten record may not be intact.
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While Magpies fans – and supporters of many Premier League and Championship teams – do not always welcome the September hiatus with open arms, Newcastle have an affinity for coming back with a bang, winning each of their last seven games that have come straight after an international break.
Howe’s crop have also managed to find the back of the net in 22 of their last 23 Premier League away matches, and the visitors have strung together a five-match unbeaten run against Wolves, following up a 2-2 Molineux draw last season with a 3-0 St James’ Park success.
