Newcastle take 'massive step' towards safety as Wood pen sees off Wolves

Newcastle moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone as Chris Wood's penalty secured a 1-0 victory over Wolves on Friday Night Football.

Eddie Howe's side dominated at St James' Park with Wolves delivering a sub-par performance, but the hosts had to wait until the 72nd minute for their breakthrough as Wood sent Jose Sa the wrong way from the penalty spot.

It was Wood who won the spot-kick after cleverly waiting for contact from the onrushing Sa before scoring his first goal at St James' Park since his £25m move from relegation rivals Burnley in January.

The Newcastle striker thought he had scored in the first half - bundling the ball in from close range following some calamitous defending from Willy Boly and Jonny Otto - but VAR ruled the goal out for an offside on Bruno Guimaraes in the build-up.

The only negative for Newcastle on a night full of positives was an apparent muscle injury for Ryan Fraser, who was forced off after 12 minutes, with Miguel Almiron coming on in his place.

The result ends a three-game losing run for the Magpies, who took a big step towards securing Premier League safety with a fine performance on their first return to St James' Park for over a month.

"It's getting closer," Wood told Sky Sports when asked about Newcastle's safety. "It's a very nice position to be in."

Wolves failed to register a shot on target until the 81st minute - finishing the game with two - as they missed the chance to move up to sixth and to within two points of fourth-placed Tottenham. They remain eighth, two points adrift of Manchester United and West Ham above them.

"That is any lingering hope of Champions League football out the window," former Wolves striker Don Goodman said on Sky Sports commentary. "They haven't