A massive moment in our season? - The major boosts from Newcastle 3-0 Wolves

Saturday's win over Wolves felt so important. A massive boost to confidence levels that were visibly low at Blackburn last week, a much-improved performance and a win that saw us close the gap on Man Utd; who lost 3-1 to Man City on Sunday.

Here I pick some of the key positives to take from the game ahead of our trip to Chelsea next Monday:

1. Howe's tactical tweak

I love Eddie Howe and have always maintained that he deserved patience and support through this tricky patch, but he has been guilty - in my view - of being too rigid with our style of play when it's not been working for one reason or another.

On Saturday, it was a really smart move to have us sit a little deeper, which not only added protection to a previously leaky defence, but allowed us to hurt Wolves on the counter. Not only did we defend much better and keep our first clean sheet in 10, each of our three goals came thanks to devastating breaks, where we quickly bypassed Wolves' midfield and had too much pace for their three centre-backs.

2. Joe Willock 

He's been a breath of fresh air in a midfield three that has previously looked disjointed and far too one-paced. His pace, drive, athleticism and goal threat was evident on Saturday, as was his ability to create partnerships with Burn and Gordon; two players who benefited from his movement and spark down our left side.

He was unlucky not to score and made a huge difference at both ends, with his recovery speed not only offering protection to Burn but allowing him to keep pace and create swift counter-attacks.

3. Unwanted run ends at St James' Park

St James' Park has been a fortress for the vast majority of Eddie Howe's time on Tyneside, but Saturday was our first win since mid December on home turf.

In our previous four games, we failed to beat any of Nottingham Forest, Luton or Bournemouth, lost from a winning position against Man City and conceded an average of three goals across those games.

Getting back to winning ways in a drama-free game that we quickly took control of felt huge. After all, our European hopes will be boosted massively if we can find consistency at SJP ahead of remaining games against West Ham, Everton, Spurs, Sheffield United and Brighton.

4. Botman and Schar respond to recent dip 

Sven Botman had his worst game in a Newcastle shirt in our defeat at Arsenal the previous weekend, so it was a real boost to see him deliver a calm, composed and rock-solid display against Wolves. He's still regaining match sharpness after suffering a serious knee injury, but that will do him the world of good.

As for Fabian Schar, I thought he was all over the shop at Blackburn, both on and off the ball, yet he was outstanding on Saturday in every department. A huge early tackle on Pedro Neto, three midfield splitting passes in the building up to all of our goals, dominant in the air and a huge part of our win.

5. Bruno relief and Burn response 

Bruno Guimaraes' man of the match display was a joy to watch. When he is at his best, he's the heartbeat of this Newcastle side and the man that makes us tick. Having him at his best is a huge positive in itself, but it's a massive relief that he didn't pick up his 10th yellow card of the season, allowing him to play in next Monday's huge trip to Chelsea. Against the likes of Caicedo, Gallagher and Fernandez, it's vital we the Brazilian.

With Dan Burn, I must admit I was concerned to see him start against Pedro Neto. Granted, the Portuguese speedster was forced off at half-time, but it was good to see the 6ft 7' Geordie deliver a solid defensive display. So many goals came down his side in recent home games against Forest, Man City, Luton and Bournemouth, yet he made some important blocks, was much better positionally and got forward well, almost bagging his second assist in as many Premier League games with a cross to Joe Willock.

Let's hope we can take this into next week at Stamford Bridge; a game that could really kick-start our season and consolidate confidence levels after an encouraging win over Wolves.

https://twitter.com/NUFC/status/1764256154795090253