Newcastle halt slump to take a huge step toward Premier League survival

NEWCASTLE: Newcastle United took a giant leap toward Premier League safety by securing all three points against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday, ending a three-game losing streak in the English top flight.

Chris Wood’s second-half penalty allowed United to steal an early weekend march on their rivals in the bottom half of the table by reopening a 10-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.

With just seven games left to play for the Magpies, it feels like survival is so close they can almost touch it.

“Massive tonight,” head coach Eddie Howe said of the win. “It was the kind of game we expected it to be. Wolves make it difficult for you. We had our moments. It took a penalty to win the game but the players gave everything, again.

“I am so pleased for Chris Wood. You could see him filling in on the left of midfield. He is a willing lad. The goal will do wonders for him. I am pleased he stepped up and took it.

“Bruno Guimaraes is going to be a mainstay of the team. The difficulty is that we went on that winning run and it was difficult to break the midfield up. He got his opportunity today and I thought he was excellent. He offered a different dimension. I am excited by what he can bring to the team,” Howe added.

“We still have work to do but that was a massive step forward, tonight. It brings us closer to safety. I hope there will be a different Newcastle in the future but we have to play a certain way to get results at the moment.”

Having taken stock of the 5-1 hammering by Spurs last Sunday, Howe made some tweaks to his starting XI for United’s first home game in more than a month. In came Guimaraes for his first home start since his $52million move in January from Lyon, with injured Joe Willock