Matt Ritchie apologises following training-ground bust-up with Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce

Reports suggest midfielder called his boss 'a coward' following comments made by Bruce after 1-1 draw with Wolves

• 

  NEWCASTLE UNITED RATINGS: Martin Dubravka - 6, Making his return to the team, Dubravka’s distribution was poor, while he may have saved Ruben Neves’ header on top form. Came up with a vital stop near the end. Reuters

• 

  Emil Krafth - 5, Defended resolutely but struggled to match Adama Traore, while the right-back could have done better in attacking areas. Getty

• 

  Jamaal Lascelles - 8, Was reliable in his defensive work and showed the cutting edge in front of goal that Newcastle’s attackers had failed to provide. Getty

• 

  Ciaran Clark - 7, Got a superb touch on Pedro Neto’s cross to divert it away from danger, while making some other good interventions. Booked for a foul on Traore. AFP

• 

  Jamal Lewis - 6, Got forward well and made some impressive interventions defensively, but was beaten by Pedro Neto in the build-up to Wolves’ goal. AP

• 

  Joe Willock - 6, Was neat in his general play but should have done better when a chance presented itself to him in the box. AP

• 

  Isaac Hayden - 6, Was a solid presence in the midfield despite picking up an early knock. Took one for the team and was booked for a foul on Traore. Reuters

• 

  Jonjo Shelvey - 7, Played some good balls forward and made sure his presence was felt in the middle of the pitch with some superb challenges. Reuters

• 

  Miguel Almiron - 5, Was very lively but missed a great chance after getting through on goal, while a better touch could have given him another opportunity to score. AFP

• 

  Joelinton - 6, Will be wondering how he hasn’t scored, after he sent a sweetly struck effort straight at Patricio, while Saiss somehow kept another of his attempts out. Reuters

• 

  Allan Saint-Maximin - 7, Was such a threat throughout his time on the pitch, and was unlucky to be caught offside when he scored. Getty

• 

  SUBS: Ryan Fraser (Almiron HT) - 7, Put in a brilliant cross to set up Lascelles for the game’s opening goal. AP

• 

  Jacob Murphy (Saint-Maximin 63’) - 6, Made a vital intervention at the back post to prevent Neves scoring a second header. AP

• 

  Matt Ritchie (Krafth 71’) – N/R, Showed good technique but the decision-making didn’t always match that. Reuters

• 

  WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS RATINGS: Rui Patricio - 6, Had no chance of stopping Lascelles’ header and made various good saves, even if they were a little bit unorthodox at times. AP

• 

  Leander Dendoncker - 6, Put in a lot of good work, though he was stretched whenever Saint-Maximin drove at him. Getty

• 

  Conor Coady - 6, Was generally solid, making some good blocks and interventions, but some of his passing wasn’t at his best. Got a punch in the head from his own goalkeeper. AP

• 

  Romain Saiss - 7, Made a brilliant goal line clearance to prevent Joelinton from scoring after the Brazilian beat Patricio. Reuters

• 

  Nelson Semedo - 5, Was let off after playing Almiron onside and struggled to deal with Saint-Maximin. Completely wasted a good opportunity to provide a dangerous cross. AP

• 

  Ruben Neves - 7, His long-range efforts were far from the best they’ve been, but he popped up in the box to score with his head. AP

• 

  Joao Moutinho - 6, Moved the ball around nicely at times but failed to turn that into chances created. Getty

• 

  Jonny - 6, Was pretty reliable defensively throughout and made some good runs forward in the second period. EPA

• 

  Pedro Neto - 7, Was wasteful in front of goal but put in the cross that assisted Neves’ header. AP

• 

  Willian Jose - 6, Impacted the game despite getting hardly any of the ball, as he linked the play well and his movement created space for Neves to exploit to score. AP

• 

  Adama Traore - 7, Was Wolves’ most consistent threat with his bursts up the pitch. Also forced an awkward save from Dubravka with a header. AFP

• 

  SUBS: Fabio Silva (Jose 83’) – N/R, Another who will wonder how they didn’t score, as Clark blocked one header while Dubravka produced a great save to stop another. AP

• 

  Ki-Jana Hoever (Semedo 85’) – N/R, Came in and fulfilled his duties well to help Wolves earn a point. Getty

• 

  Rayan Ait-Nouri (Jonny 94’) – N/R, Was on for less than a minute but pressed Murphy to make him play backwards. Reuters

The pressure on Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has intensified after reports emerged of a training-ground confrontation with midfielder Matt Ritchie.

Newcastle currently find themselves deep in relegation trouble with 12 games of the Premier League season remaining, having won just two of their last 15 league matches to slip to within three points of the relegation zone.

They will drop into the bottom three if Fulham manage to beat Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage on Thursday evening.

A report in the Daily Mail suggested that Ritchie, who moved to the club from Bournemouth for £12 million in 2016, called Bruce "a coward" during the bust-up which followed comments by his manager after the 1-1 draw with Wolves on Saturday.

In a post-match interview, Bruce suggested the midfielder had failed to pass on tactical information to his teammates quickly enough after coming on as a second-half substitute, which helped lead to Wolves' equaliser.

Defender Jamal Lewis, goalkeeper Martin Dubravka and striker Joelinton were also criticised by their manager.

The previous week, Karl Darlow was also said to be unhappy after finding out he was about to be dropped in favour of Dubravka for the Wolves game after reading about it first in the media.

Bruce said to Sky Sports after the draw at St James' Park: "Unfortunately, Matty didn't get the directions on quick enough, the instructions of how we were doing it [making the change]. We'll have to concede that one and make sure we do our instructions from the sideline."

This is thought to have infuriated Ritchie with the Daily Mail story suggesting the 31-year-old was involved in a furious row with Bruce at training on Tuesday.

Newcastle substitute Matt Ritchie is given instructions from coach Graeme Jones before coming on during the 1-1 draw with Wolves. Getty

The club has not commented on the incident, but multiple British media outlets are reporting that the player has since apologised to players and staff for what he said and that the matter is now considered closed.

Ritchie was a key member of the team under Rafael Benitez but has slipped down the pecking order since Bruce's arrival.

He came close to leaving Newcastle in January but a move back to Bournemouth late in the transfer window fell through.

Bruce said at the time the player was "frustrated" at his lack of football and would "need to get his head down until the end of the season".

The Magpies head for 19th-placed West Brom on Sunday with leading scorer Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin, who have scored 16 of their 27 league goals to date this season, all out injured. The trio might not play again until April.