Newcastle arrived at Molineux in retro shirts to bring back memories of David Ginola and Les Ferdinand but there was no swagger or flair in their goalless draw against Wolves. There was the potential to go fifth in the Premier League with a win for the Magpies but they toiled on their way to a point instead.
With two-thirds of possession throughout the game, Newcastle must have expected to come away with more but they possessed neither the creativity nor finishing. Wolves were worthy of the draw, which leaves them three points shy of Derby’s worst-ever tally of 11, a total many at Molineux, at Christmas, feared would not be overcome.
The two teams kicked off with confidence growing; Wolves were four unbeaten in all competitions after a traumatic start to the season, while Newcastle had won three Premier League games in row. It was the visitors who looked to control the game early on, maintaining possession and testing where the gaps were in the home defence but apart from Nick Woltemade’s two misdirected headers, they lacked an immediate threat.
Wolves got to enjoy playing in front of a crowd who did not arrive fearful. Rob Edwards has created order with the setup and they are more difficult to break down, while offering danger on the counter. Jackson Tchatchoua used his speed to get down the right quickly but two crosses in quick succession were blocked before any danger could arise.
