Newcastle v Wolves player ratings: Isak 9, Almiron 8; Jimenez 5, Traore 4

Eddie Howe's side move up to fifth in the Premier League table after a 2-1 win at St James' Park

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  NEWCASTLE RATINGS: Nick Pope - 7. Breathed a sigh of relief when the referee waved away calls for a red card and a penalty after a poor touch saw him collide with Jimenez inside the box. Made an excellent save to deny Neto from a free-kick in the 58th minute. Getty

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  Kieran Trippier - 6. Played in an excellent ball that was headed in by Isak to give Newcastle the lead. Jumped high and headed behind to deny Jimenez what looked like a certain goal. Slipped and gifted Hee Chan a simple tap-in for Wolves to draw level in the second half. PA

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  Fabian Schar - 7. Looked very assured in defence next to Botman and dealt well with the threat of Jimenez. Reuters

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  Sven Botman - 6. Had two half chances to double Newcastle’s lead in the first half and used his height to great effect in defence. Had a good chance to put the game to bed in the 93rd minute but hit his shot high into the stand from close range. Getty

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  Dan Burn - 7. Did well to get a foot in when it looked like Traore had got past him in the 12th minute. Showed great desire to get on the end of a Trippier corner and set up Guimaraes for a header, which hit the crossbar. Reuters

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  Sean Longstaff - 7. Kept things ticking from the base of the Magpies midfield. Could have done better with a couple of balls into the final third but should be satisfied with his defensive contribution. PA

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  Bruno Guimaraes - 7. Thought he had doubled Newcastle’s lead only to see his header come off the crossbar in the 35th minute. Helped the Magpies win the midfield battle and was central to everything his team created in the final third. PA

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  Joseph Willock - 7. Denied a goal by Dawson’s block early in the game. Showed great vision to pick out Almiron for Newcastle's second goal. Getty

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  Jacob Murphy - 7. Worked hard on the right and put in several dangerous balls that caused problems for the Wolves defence. His high work rate meant he provided adequate support for Trippier in defence. Reuters

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  Alexander Isak - 9. Isak was easily Newcastle's best player in the first half. He grabbed a well deserved goal off a Trippier cross in the 25th minute. Had a number of half chances to double his tally but was denied by a combination of good saves and excellent blocks. Reuters

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  Allan Saint-Maximin - 7. His trickiness and impressive footwork caused Wolves problems on the first half. Looked like he played most of the second half with a knock, which affected his performance. AFP

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  Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Wolverhampton Wanderers - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - March 12, 2023 Newcastle United's Miguel Almiron celebrates scoring their second goal Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

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  Callum Wilson (Isak 68') - 5. Did little to convince Eddie Howe that he should have started the game ahead of Isak. Has to do better if he is to regain his place in the team; Matt Richie (Murphy 85') - N/A. Came on too late to make an impact. PA

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  WOLVES RATINGS: Jose Sa - 6. Had little to do other than to pick the ball out of his net in the first half. The deflection on Almiron’s shot gave him no chance of making the save. AFP

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  Nelson Semedo - 6. Did well to deny Saint-Maximin a chance early in the game. Made a good last-ditch tackle to stop Isak from running through on goal in the 54th minute. Lucky not be sent off after he hauled Murphy to the ground despite being Wolves’ last man in defence. Reuters

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  Craig Dawson - 6. Showed great composure to deny Willock the chance to double Newcastle’s lead in the 27th minute. Played the second half with both knees strapped and still remained crucial in helping Wolves win aerial balls. AFP

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  Max Kilman - 5. Made a number of blocks to stop Newcastle doubling their lead in the first half. Should have stepped out early to deny Almiron space in the absence of Ait-Nouri. AFP

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  Jonny Otto - 6. Will feel aggrieved after he was slightly shoved by Isak en route to Newcastle's opener. Worked hard to limit Saint-Maximin’s impact on the match. Getty

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  Ruben Neves - 7. Looked like the most composed Wolves player in the first half and was influential to everything they did going forward. Brought off early in the second half after receiving a knock to his knee. Getty

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  Mario Lemina - 6. Lucky to get away with a handball in his box halfway into the first half. Worked hard and supported his defence by tracking the runs of Newcastle’s midfielders. Getty

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  Adama Traore - 4. Surprisingly struggled to get the better of Dan Burn in Newcastle‘s defence. Subbed off at half-time for Neto. Getty

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  Joao Moutinho - 5. Struggled to get involved in the first half but forced Pope into a cracking save in the 64th minute. Subbed off for Collins to aid the switch to a back three. PA

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  Daniel Podence - 5. Almost drew Wolves level with a shot that came off the woodwork in the 38th minute. Found it hard to get past Trippier and was subbed off in the 70th minute. Getty

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  Raul Jimenez - 5. Should have stayed on his feet and taken advantage of Pope’s poor touch in the 21st minute. Failed to convert the two half chances he had in the second half. Getty

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  SUBS: Pedro Neto (Traore 46') - 6. Denied a goal by Pope from a free kick in the second half. Combined well with Semedo and gave Burn more problems. Reuters

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  Hwang Hee-chan (Neves 69') - 7. Scored with his first touch after Trippier slipped and played the ball into his path. Did very little afterwards. Reuters

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  Rayan Ait-Nouri(Jonny 69') - 5. Got caught up the pitch as Almiron exploited space on the left to score Newcastle’s second goal. AFP

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  Matheus Nunes (Podence 70') - N/A. Denied Wilson a clear run at goal with a last-ditch tackle in the 83rd minute. Helped provide more security in midfield. PA

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  Nathan Collins (Moutinho 75') - 5. At fault for playing Almiron onside in the build-up to the Magpies’ second goal. Reuters

Miguel Almiron came off the bench to secure a 2-1 victory for Newcastle United over Wolverhampton Wanderers to move them into fifth place in the Premier League on Sunday.

Left out of the starting line-up by manager Eddie Howe, Almiron got his chance in the 68th minute and made his mark 11 minutes later with a superbly-taken goal to boost Newcastle's top-four hopes.

Record signing Alexander Isak had given Newcastle the lead with a powerful header after 26 minutes, although they were perhaps fortunate not to be down to 10 men after keeper Nick Pope appeared to take down Raul Jimenez in the box earlier.

To add to Wolves' frustration Pope made several top-quality saves and Daniel Podence fired a shot against the post.

But the visitors did equalise when a slip by Kieran Trippier, as he tried to clear the ball, allowed substitute Hwang Hee-chan the easiest of finishes in the 70th minute.

Newcastle hung on to claim their first league win in six league matches to overtake Liverpool with 44 points from 25 games -- four behind Tottenham Hotspur with two games in hand.

Wolves remain in 13th place, three points above the relegation zone.

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