Newcastle United missed a major chance to climb into fifth place in the Premier League, being held 0-0 by bottom side Wolves at Molineux. A win by at least two goals would have lifted Newcastle United above
Manchester United and into contention for a Champions League position, but the visitors lacked precision in the final third throughout the match.
The draw extends Newcastle United’s frustrating run of stalemates, with the team now recording four goalless Premier League games this season. That number is already four times their combined tally from the previous two league campaigns, when they had one 0-0 in 2024-25 and none in 2023-24, underlining a recent drop in attacking efficiency.
Newcastle United struggled to test Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa, failing to register a shot on target until the 85th minute. Sa then made a comfortable double save from Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton. Across the 90 minutes, Newcastle United produced 12 attempts, 10 of them off target, with a combined expected goals figure of 0.88, reflecting their poor chance quality.
Wolves, despite remaining bottom of the Premier League, extended an unbeaten sequence to four league matches. That run makes Wolves the first club to go four Premier League games without losing while sitting last since West Brom achieved a five-game streak in April and May 2018. However, Wolves still face a huge challenge, sitting 14 points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
Eddie Howe admitted the result added to Newcastle United’s irritation, as the opportunity to gain ground on Manchester United slipped away. Newcastle United had large spells of possession but lacked creativity around the Wolves penalty area. The performance again raised questions about their attacking sharpness, especially when opponents defend deep and restrict space.
"We tried, right to the end, to win that game, Howe told Sky Sports after full-time. It was a game of frustration for us. They played very low and minimised the space, and we had to have the intention of trying to win the game. We had a lot of the ball. I thought we didn't do enough with it; our cutting edge was missing. But I thought we played better the longer the game went on. I thought there were moments for us, there were goalscoring opportunities we didn't take. You're looking for either an individual moment from a player that can make the difference, or a set-play, just something to spark us into life. We had the chances, even right to the end, Bruno had a couple of moments, Joelinton had a couple of moments, but it just didn't fall for us. "
Newcastle United relied heavily on wide deliveries, sending 34 crosses into the Wolves box, their fourth-highest crossing total in a Premier League match this 2025-26 season. Yet only 10 of those crosses reached a teammate, showing a lack of accuracy and movement in attacking areas, which limited clear opportunities against a deep defensive line.
| Team | Stat | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Newcastle United | Total shots | 12 |
| Newcastle United | Shots on target | 2 |
| Newcastle United | Expected goals (xG) | 0.88 |
| Newcastle United | Total crosses | 34 |
| Newcastle United | Accurate crosses | 10 |
| Wolves | Unbeaten run while bottom | 4 Premier League games |
| Wolves | Points from safety | 14 behind Nottingham Forest |
"I thought we put a lot of crosses in the box today, maybe we didn't fill the box well enough, Howe added. There were a lot of balls going across the face of their goal, good height crosses where there was no one on the end of them. I'll have to review a few of those to see if our positioning could've been better. But on a day when we had so much of the ball around their box, we're looking at individual moments and, with the quality we possess, we should be doing better. "
While Newcastle United reflected on missed chances, Wolves head coach Rob Edwards focused on continued improvement. Wolves’ recent points run has arrived after a stretch of stronger displays that did not always bring results. Edwards highlighted organisation, commitment and defensive structure as key reasons for their clean sheet against Newcastle United in this Premier League meeting.
"It was a really committed performance. People will look at the results and think it has clicked all of a sudden, but the performances were there before that. They have got very good players, but overall, the game went how we expected it to. I am really pleased with the clean sheet; we don't give too much away. We are not there yet; we understand there is a lot of work still. The boys are with it, the crowd were with us all throughout the game. We are making some good steps forward. "
The result leaves Newcastle United regretting a missed chance to move into the Champions League race, despite controlling possession and territory. Wolves gained another point and some defensive belief, yet remain far from safety. Both clubs now face further key Premier League fixtures, with Newcastle United needing sharper finishing and Wolves seeking to turn resilience into survival.
