Wolves’ bright start undone by Woltemade debut header as winless run reaches four

Wolves left St James’ Park without reward despite setting the early tempo in a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United. Rodrigo Gomes drew a save from Nick Pope inside seconds and Hwang Hee‑chan’s half-volley forced another sharp stop, only for the hosts to strike on 29 minutes when Nick Woltemade escaped Emmanuel Agbadou to head in Jacob Murphy’s cross.

Sam Johnstone, preferred to José Sá, kept his side in it with key saves while the visitors continued to threaten on transitions, but the finishing touch eluded Vítor Pereira’s team. The result means Wolves have opened a league campaign with four straight defeats for the first time in their history, a harsh return given the bravery and organisation their manager praised afterwards.

Front-foot intent, no breakthrough

The plan to rattle Newcastle early worked. A direct start saw Gomes’ drive pushed behind by Pope and Hwang sting the goalkeeper’s palms from the ensuing corner. Hugo Bueno’s forward raids unsettled the hosts and, before the interval, Wolves’ pace in behind kept the home crowd nervy.

The equaliser felt close on several occasions. Gomes steered a presentable chance wide from close range and, at the back post, debutant Tolu Arokodare was primed to tap in before Fabian Schär’s last-ditch intervention nicked the ball away. The margins were razor-thin; the finish, absent.

One lapse punished, and a game of inches thereafter

Wolves’ undoing arrived with a single misread. As Murphy lofted a cross to the far side, Woltemade drifted off Agbadou and met it with a firm header that gave Johnstone no chance. For all the control shown in the opening exchanges, it took just one clear connection to tilt the afternoon against Pereira’s men.

From there, Wolves held the line and waited for a moment to fall their way. They benefited when a Newcastle attack that ended in the net was ruled out for offside against Harvey Barnes, and when Yerson Mosquera’s edge-of-the-box foul on Barnes brought neither a penalty nor a red card. At the other end, however, the final touch remained elusive, and Tonali’s shot thudding the inside of Newcastle’s post underlined how perilous a one-goal deficit can be.

Positives to build on, problems to solve

Johnstone’s selection was vindicated by a string of strong interventions, including a point-blank stop from Murphy. Bueno’s aggression down the flank asked questions of Tino Livramento, and the team’s pace repeatedly stretched Newcastle’s back line. The structure was there; the details inside the box were not.

Mitigating factors remain. Key striker Jørgen Strand Larsen missed out with an Achilles issue, while Arokodare offered glimpses on debut. Pereira highlighted the bravery and tactical organisation of his side at a full and unforgiving St James’ Park, sentiments that matched the away end’s early confidence as they challenged the home atmosphere.

Turning the page

History will not make the pill easier to swallow: four opening league defeats is a first for the club. But there were passages of control and chance creation here that suggest a different narrative is within reach once the finishing sharpens and personnel return.

Leeds United visit Molineux on Saturday, 20 September, a timely opportunity to convert intent into points. On this evidence, Wolves are not far away—what they require now is the first punch to land.