LAST UPDATE | 12 Mar 2023
MIGUEL ALMIRON CAME off the bench to re-ignite Newcastle’s charge for Europe as he snatched a hard-fought Premier League victory over Wolves.
The Paraguay international’s 79th-minute strike clinched a 2-1 win, but only after the visitors had dragged themselves back into a full-blooded encounter when substitute Hwang Hee-chan had cancelled out Alexander Isak’s first-half opener on an eventful afternoon at St James’ Park.
Julen Lopetegui’s men were convinced Magpies keeper Nick Pope should have picked up a second red card in three games after a clumsy first-half challenge on Raul Jimenez before Almiron’s 11th goal of the season rubbed salt into the wound.
It was just a second win in nine league outings for Newcastle, who ended a run of five games without a victory in all competitions to climb above Liverpool into fifth place.
Wolves, who gradually worked their way into the game as Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves made their presence felt, saw concerted appeals for a 20th-minute penalty and perhaps more waved away after Pope miscontrolled Sven Botman’s back-pass and collided with Jimenez as he attempted to recover.
The striker was bundled to the ground in the process, but referee Andy Madley was unmoved and VAR official Tony Harrington saw no reason to ask him to look again.
Wolves’ disappointment increased within six minutes when, after Fabian Schar had been fouled by Jimenez, Kieran Trippier curled the resulting free-kick on to Isak’s head and he dispatched it past Jose Sa with a deft flick.
The England full-back Trippier’s afternoon took a turn for the worse with 20 minutes remaining when he slipped as he attempted to clear inside his own penalty area and, with Pope having left his line in an attempt to snuff out the danger, presented the ball to Hwang to slide into the empty net.
But Almiron got the Magpies out of jail with 11 minutes remaining when he exchanged passes with Willock before curling a shot across Sa and into the net with the help of a touch off Kilman.
Elsewhere Said Benrahma’s penalty lifted West Ham back out of the relegation zone after a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
The Hammers fell behind to an Ollie Watkins header but Benrahma hit back from the spot after Lucas Paqueta was fouled.
West Ham started the day in the bottom three after Bournemouth’s shock win over Liverpool. They knew a victory would lift them 14th, but they were unable to find a winner with Danny Ings drawing a blank against his old club.
Nonetheless, a draw moved them up to 17th ahead of Bournemouth on goal difference and stretched West Ham’s unbeaten streak against Villa to 10 matches, going back to 2015.
The Hammers are the only team in the top flight yet to score in the opening 15 minutes of a match this season, and that trend continued with Nayef Aguerd steering a Declan Rice free-kick wide and Benrahma volleying Jarrod Bowen’s cross over the top.
Instead, against the run of play, Villa took the lead in the 17th minute with their first attempt on goal, Watkins heading in Alex Moreno’s cross.
But West Ham hit back in the 26th minute after Paqueta’s shot was headed off the line by Watkins. The Brazil midfielder went to retrieve the loose ball and was clumsily brought down by Leon Bailey, with Benrahma confidently converting the penalty high into the net of World Cup-winner Emiliano Martinez.
Both teams could have won it late on with Benrahma’s volley at the far post deflected wide by Villa sub Ashley Young and Jhon Duran’s close-range shot clutched by Areola.
