It wasn’t easy on the eyes on was a frustrating watch in the main, but a brilliant late free-kick from Jacob Murphy rescued us a point in a disjointed yet much improved defensive display for Steve Bruce’s Mags.
Many Newcastle fans stared at the team-sheet before this afternoon’s clash v Wolves at Molineux with very wide-open eyes. Not only were both Ryan Fraser and Miguel Almiron in the starting line-up but a certain Jacob Murphy also came in from the cold – coming in at right wing-back!
Some of it was forced upon Manager Steve Bruce with Jonjo Shelvey out injured and Isaac Hayden not fully fit, But the choice of Murphy was one that was the biggest gamble and one that could well have backfired.
However, the former Norwich City player came up trumps for Bruce with a Man of the Match performance and a superb free-kick equaliser with barely two minutes left on the clock after Raul Jimenez had fired the home side in on 80 minutes.
Was it a point Newcastle deserved? It matters little what the answer to that question is, the fact that they got one was a point taken off a side that always threatened to take the win and are one of the best organised sides in the division.
The problem for United though is that the formation may have been more attacking but the performance was very much one that once again saw them on the back foot for much of the game conceding possession and giving their opponents lots of space.
However perhaps the telling factor was that the vast majority of that space was well away from Karl Darlow’s goal and Wolves goal attempts were always seemingly from distance. When they did get in the box there always seemed to be a Newcastle body in the way blocking the home side’s path to goal.
In truth it wasn’t pretty once again from Newcastle but it was slightly more effective and there’s no doubt that many of those selected putting in a shift that got them a share of the spoils.
Some very solid performances across the back “five” and from Darlow again – although he will be frustrated he didn’t get a strong enough hand to Jimenez’s opener:
Murphy though was the pick and played as well as anyone has in recent times in the right wing-back role. His defending was in the main solid enough, he got forward and created some of our best moments and he definitely fancied the free kick.
Newcastle’s formation looked strange and certainly felt strange and disjointed in the first 15 minutes when Wolves dominated the game. Daniel Podence looking lively and his sharp 20-yard left foot shot saw the first on target effort of the game with Darlow getting down well to parry.
Podence again hit one well over and then Jimenez blazed wide when well placed as Wolves pushed The Magpies back. When Newcastle finally got into the game, they actually created the best chance on 17 minutes.
A superb curled ball down the line from Murphy saw Callum Wilson get the wrong side of Max Kilman and into the box. But Kilman did well to get back goal-side and block Wilson’s effort with the resultant corner coming to nothing.
Halfway through the first half there were signs that Newcastle were getting to grips with the formation and whilst they never looked threatening, they never really looked threatened either. Wolves were spreading the ball wide but every time the ball was crossed in a Newcastle head got the ball clear.
On 38 minutes United had another chance when a breakaway saw Almiron find Allan Saint-Maximin wide on the right but the Frenchman fluffed his lines and a decent opportunity was squandered – a moment that summed up a rare off day for the Frenchman!
Podence was causing problems for us and he turned Murphy brilliantly on the right but once again his dangerous cross was headed away by a Newcastle centre-back, this time Lascelles.
Wolves had undoubtedly had the best of the opening exchanges as we approached half-time without really creating a clear-cut chance whilst at the other end Saint-Maximin showed good skill to wriggle free and get a deflected shot on target that was well held down low by Rui Patricio.
All-square at half-time it was the home side who once again started the brighter. Jimenez fired well wide from range and then on 50 minutes they missed their best chance of the game. Wilson gave the ball away and Podence did well on the left to pull the ball back to Paulo Neto.
But the Portuguese star didn’t compose himself well enough and from 14 yards fired narrowly over the top. After another long range Neto effort was wide Newcastle had a real scare on 55 minutes.
Podence got inside the box and worked a great shooting chance but Fredrico Fernandez threw himself in the way to block brilliantly. VAR had a quick look as the ball did hit his arm but no penalty was the right decision.
Wolves were well on top now but a sporadic United break saw Murphy do well to find Wilson inside the box who laid off to Almiron whose attempt was blocked. It was a brief respite as the home side set-up another couple of long-range efforts that Darlow got down well to save.
Then from a tricky cross from substitute Adam Traore, Jamaal Lascelles got a great header in to deflect the ball away. It fell to Neto who smashed it goalward only for the skipper to make an excellent block.
Then with ten minutes to go the breakthrough came. A Wolves free kick from the left was headed away by Fabian Schar and fell to the edge of the box where Jimenez had pulled away too. His vicious volley flew through a crowd of players and although the unsighted Darlow got a hand to it he couldn’t keep it out.
It seemed as though that was going to be it and another disappointing end to the afternoon from a Newcastle side that worked hard but offered little up front but, Murphy had other ideas. Two minutes from time he became the hero.
A long ball from Schar aimed towards Wilson saw the striker pushed off the ball by England’s Connor Coady. The free-kick was in a dangerous position and with Rui Patricio not setting his wall up well Murphy stepped up and curled the ball around the defenders and into the bottom corner to make it 1 – 1.
Perhaps it wasn’t what Newcastle deserved but they’ll take it and there’s no doubt that the man Bruce trusted to play a part in Jacob Murphy was definitely the man that saved his bacon with the late strike!
My marks out of 10: Darlow – 7, MURPHY 8, Lascelles 7, Schar 6, Fernandez 7, Lewis 7, Hendrick 6, Fraser 5, Almiron 6, Saint-Maximin 5, Wilson 6. SLongstaff 5 Joelinton 5, Carroll 5.
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Malcolm McDonald has us down for a 3-0 loss on Sunday and John Gibson went for a 2-0 loss.
But as Sharpy said we should be looking at this as an opportunity with Everton players suspended and James out. And dont forget the TRex Mackem, his confidence is shot whatever bluster he tries to show.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8897015/Imperial-team-say-1-15-Covid-19-patients-die-despite-No10s-best-guess-0-5.html
I think it’s time this guy gave it up as a bad job and went and worked at Asda collecting the trolly’s or something like that. He’s fucking useless!
Stuart79(Quote)
Stewey: I’ll give you a USA update before getting back to football. All countries seem to be moving in the same direction and reimposing restrictions. Chicago just shut down bars and restaurants again today. Their reasoning is that positive tests had risen above 8%. I dont know if that is valid or not, somebody must be telling them something. Wisconsin is at 27% so it could be worse.
Then Chicago has a list of states where if you go there you have to quarantine when you get back. Not as bad as some of the UK restrictions but currently more than 30 states are on it. Florida was added today. I booked a trip to Miami and the Keys in January last week. At the moment I am still going as it will be 20-25 degrees and I can sit outside. Again, I am more worried about the airports.
It seems everybody is not of the same opinion as you Stuart. Your main ally is Donald Trump so I would be worried about that if I was you. Siding with a narcistic imbecile who puts his own supporters at risk and has a vocabulary of 5 words – great, terrific, beautiful, Ivanka, MAGA – is not a good look.
As I have said before this is just too complicated for me to get my head around so I go with the protections the Drs and scientists recommend and I ignore Trump. I have said many times the cure may be worse than the disease but I am not putting my life on complete hold for this. Sometimes there are risks you should take, I do it every day when I drive my car.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Listened to Wraith again with his 2 Pals. I quite like his shows even if the Geordie Dentist is a bit full of himself. Getting the feeling that people are even more fed up with Bruce now. He needs a good performance against Everton desperately. Not just a defensive draw but getting into their half!!!! I also get the feeling that people are seeing him more and more as a BS merchant. It is like Pardew, you can only hear the same things so many times before tuning them out, or getting angry.
Better get a result!!!! This is the same pattern as Pardew. Same slavver and eventually they lose the team. Fans are lost 1st, then team, then death spiral. I really hope I am wrong because our squad is nowhere near relegation fodder but Brucie might just take us there.
Ugly John Carver is actually doing quite well with Scotland. I am sure we could get him back.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
It is quite funny to think of some of the BSers we have had under Ashley. Obviously, Bruce and Pardew, but also Carver, Kinnear, Schteve and Allardyce. All equal bores and boors. The types that if you sat down and had a pint with them to watch a game you would politely decline their offer to see you for the next game.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
? Happy Halloween all .
kimtoon(Quote)
Indeed Eric, a long line of snake oil salesman.
kimtoon(Quote)
Weather here is foul, very windy and very wet, hope it calms down later for the kiddies on their halloween trails. I have decorated my window, for every window they spot their parents put treats in their buckets.
I did make some sweetie cones with gloved hands to put outside for them later but looks like it’s gonna get soaked. 👿
kimtoon(Quote)
Eric – To be honest I’m not really too fussed whether other countries agree with me. Most people I speak to think we’re going about it the wrong way and aren’t looking at it as a whole.
I would very much appreciate it if the government would make available the negatives that arise from a lockdown.
1)How many cancer or Heart disease cases will go undiagnosed or increased due to stress?
2)How many deaths will that lead to?
3) How much of an increase in psychological illness’ will the isolation cause?
4) How much of an increase in psychological illness’ will the loss of business’, jobs, homes and families cause?
5) What kind of increase in deaths will result in missed diagnosis’?
6) What increase of deaths will result from mental illness?
7) How many business’ will be lost?
8) How many jobs will be lost?
9) What damage will the poverty created do to health and mental wellbeing?
10) What will be the actually monetary cost of all of the above?
11) How many deaths can be reasonably expected due to a lack of available investment in public services over the next ten years due to the horrendous state of our finances?
12) Why, when only 14 people under the age of 40 have died from COVID are we destroying an entire economy for the present and the future?
13) Why is COVID taking precedence over every other illness? As George Orwell said and I’m paraphrasing “All illness is equal, but some are more equal than others…”
Once they’ve answered them questions we can then decide whether lockdown is worth it or not on balance. I’d suggest it isn’t…
Stuart79(Quote)
RIP Nobby Stiles
and RIP Sean Connery
🙁
kimtoon(Quote)
One month lockdown going to announced. Great! I love this strategy of learning to live with it. But as long as we save some old ill people’s lives from COVID that’s the main thing.
Hopefully cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes and stress related illness’ all stop for the next few years just to give us a good chance of stopping ALL COVID deaths.
What’s the point in being alive if you’re not allowed to live…
Stuart79(Quote)
Just another reduction in cases and deaths since a week ago. Why not go in lockdown. ? Learn to live with it ???
Stuart79(Quote)
The PM saying exactly the same things as he said in March before the last lockdown. It achieved **** all and this won’t achieve anything either. Come January we will be in the same position as today. Hamster wheel.
#LiveWithIt
Stuart79(Quote)
I do not know what to say really what you share very well and useful to the community, I feel that it makes our community much more developed, thanks
run 3(Quote)