Newcastle United were held to a 0–0 draw by Wolverhampton on Sunday, failing to find a breakthrough against the absolute-worst Premier League side of the season.
In a match where attacking prowess was all but showcased by the Magpies, the Geordies’ output again proved limited at bast, nonexistent at worst, as Eddie Howe’s side dominated possession but did not register a shot on target until the 85th minute.
Newcastle entered the match looking to build momentum after a congested run of fixtures, while Wolves began the day rooted to the bottom of the table.
The visitors controlled large stretches of the game, particularly before the halftime break, but struggled to translate that into real-danger chances. Wolves, meanwhile, stayed compact and disciplined, focused on defending deep, countering when able, and were happy living that way and letting Newcastle kill themselves.
The best opportunity of the first half came in the 14th minute. Harvey Barnes delivered a cross from the left that found Nick Woltemade unmarked in the box, but the forward glanced his header wide. Woltemade had another headed chance soon after, again unable to direct it on target. Alas.
Wolves showed more intent after the break and introduced former-Magpie-target Jorgen Strand Larsen on 65 minutes. Newcastle responded by pushing higher but continued to have it hard to find space against the Wolves’ ultra-low block. Their first shot on target finally arrived, but it was late and meaningless
The draw leaves Newcastle eighth in the Premier League on 33 points, while Wolves remain bottom on eight.
After the match, Howe pointed to the absence of quality in the final third.
“We controlled the game but we didn’t have the cutting edge today. Chance creation was an issue,” Howe said. “They defended well, very low, compact and it was difficult for us to find space.
“The endeavour was there, the effort was there, but maybe the quality wasn’t in the final third. We were looking for a moment of magic or a set play and we didn’t take it. We protected the goal well today, and that is the real positive.”
Newcastle return to action on Wednesday, when they host PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League group stage.
