Newcastle edge Wolves as Woltemade scores on dream debut
Newcastle United's new signing Nick Woltemade enjoyed a dream debut thanks to his towering first-half header that had St James' Park roaring in their 1-0 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
The towering German, signed to replace Alexander Isak, struck in the 29th minute when Jacob Murphy whipped in a cross from the right. Woltemade shrugged off Emmanuel Agbadou and powered his header into the far corner from six yards out.
"It felt amazing, just all the fans, everybody was happy, I was happy. Of course, right now if you've won the game that's more important also. I'm very happy about it," Woltemade told BBC Sport.
"I was just here for four days now, so everything was new for me (but) I was putting that bit away and focusing on myself today.
"I think the coach already gave me such a good feeling, so I felt good on the pitch. I knew what to do and I guess everybody knew what they have to do."
It took Eddie Howe's side four matches to secure their first league win, easing pressure after a turbulent close-season in which Isak's standoff ended with Liverpool signing the 25-year-old for a British-record 125 million pounds ($169.45 million).
Though the match produced only one goal, it was an entertaining affair as new recruit Woltemade headed home to reward Newcastle after they had survived an early barrage.
Wolves had threatened from the opening seconds, Emmanuel Agbadou's long pass found Rodrigo Gomes one-on-one, but Nick Pope saved acrobatically, then blocked Hwang Hee-chan from the ensuing corner.
Newcastle responded through Murphy, whose early drive fizzed past the post, Gomes spurned another chance to level before Murphy twice went close at the other end, including a strike ruled out for offside on the stroke of halftime.
Sandro Tonali struck the post from outside the box in first-half added time. The second half opened with Newcastle looking sharper in attack. Harvey Barnes, Murphy and Woltemade combined neatly down the flanks.
Only Sam Johnstone's quick intervention stopped Barnes doubling the lead after Joelinton's through ball. Woltemade's debut ended in the 64th minute to a standing ovation.
"The Premier League is quite hard, I had to go out because I had cramps," Woltemade said.
"It was amazing, the atmosphere, the team played really good balls, they involved me a lot. It was a hard game because we had not won a game before and it was really important that we win, especially at home."
Barnes later skied over after a slick passing move involving Livramento and Guimaraes in the 74th minute, as Newcastle searched for the cushion of a second goal and Wolves offered little threat as they struggled to match the urgency of their hosts.
Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde earned a late free kick when he was fouled by Bruno Guimaraes, who was booked in the 88th minute. Bellegarde's effort struck the wall and led to a wasted corner, leaving Newcastle with three points.
Wolves remain rooted to the bottom of the table with no points, rekindling early-season worries after coach Vitor Pereira's rescue job last season.
($1 = 0.7377 pounds)
