£40m star back at St James' Park amid Newcastle United 'talks' as Kieran Trippier 'concern' revealed

Newcastle United picked up a first St James' Park win and Premier League clean sheet of 2024 as they strolled to a 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

First-half goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon put The Magpies in a commanding position at the break before substitute Tino Livramento scored his first goal for the club in stoppage time to make it 3-0.

Here are some talking points from the match...

Sven Botman returns

After being rested for the FA Cup trip to Blackburn Rovers, Sven Botman was straight back into the starting line-up as Newcastle's only change from the penalty shootout win at Ewood Park. Jamaal Lascelles dropped back to the bench while there was also a welcome Premier League return for Elliot Anderson after his cameo on Tuesday night.

It was Anderson's first time in a Premier League matchday squad for Newcastle since October following a stress fracture in his back.

But Botman's return, and his solid partnership with Fabian Schar, saw Newcastle rediscover that defensive solidity that had been lacking in recent months. Wolves still had a few chances in the match but goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was equal to them as Newcastle punished the visitors with three goals on the break.

Kieran Trippier concern

Newcastle were comfortable at 2-0 in the second half when they suffered a fresh injury blow with Kieran Trippier forced off with a calf issue.

Howe said afterwards: "Kieran felt something in his calf and had to come off the pitch. That is a concern for us, although I don’t know how serious it is at this moment." Livramento came on in place of the injured right-back and made a positive impact with a steady defensive display while providing a positive attacking influence down the right side. That was epitomised in stoppage time as his bursting run forward saw him net his first goal for the club - becoming Newcastle's 20th different goalscorer so far this season.

Trippier will now be a doubt for the trip to Chelsea next Monday as he is assessed further.

Instrumental Fabian Schar

For all of Newcastle's good work defensively, Schar was also involved in creating all three of Newcastle's goals by releasing both Gordon and Willock in the build-up to the first two goals before grabbing an assist for Livramento in stoppage time.

After a difficult spell for Newcastle's defence, Schar in particular showed why he is such an important member of Howe's side at both ends of the pitch.

"There won't be many centre-halves like Fabby," Howe admitted. "He's a total one-off and he's a very good defender when he's absolutely concentrated and really well trained - he's as good a defender as I've seen.

"He can read the game well, the amount of interceptions he makes is second to none but he would say himself that his biggest strength is on the ball and he can see things and executive things that I don't think many other centre-halves are capable of doing and that's why he's so important to us.

"The two passes today, maybe the first is slightly easier than the second which I don't think any in the stadium except saw except maybe Tino as he made the run. Two moments of absolute class."

Are Newcastle United back?

A 3-0 win against a direct rival in terms of league position is always a positive sign. Wolves may have been depleted for the match and without top scorers Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan for the match.

But The Magpies adopted a slightly different tactical approach to effectively hit the visitors on the break. The performance was more akin to the difficult-to-beat, counter-attacking Newcastle of Howe's first season in charge rather than the all-out intense Newcastle from last season, but there can be no complaints over the full-time result.

The return of Joe Willock to the Newcastle midfield also provided the side with extra athleticism and a fresh dimension in the middle of the park. A big sign of encouragement moving forward if United can keep him fit.

“I still think we’re not quite where we were at times last year, and also at times this year, but I thought it was better," Howe told The Gazette. "I thought we had a better physical look about us, with really good running capacity, highlighted by our first goal, which was really transitional.

"There were players running the full length of the pitch, with a real desire to score. I thought, individually, we looked better as well in that respect. As I’ve said many times, confidence can ebb and flow, from individuals and the team.

"But I thought towards the end of the game, we started to see the confidence flow back into the group, and the last 10 to 15 minutes was really good."

The win takes Newcastle back up to eighth in the table ahead of an important trip to Chelsea next time out. The Magpies find themselves in somewhat of a mini-league for the lower end of the European qualification places alongside West Ham United, Brighton, Wolves and Chelsea at the moment.

And that's why this current run of fixtures could prove so important in their season. They've managed to brush Wolves aside, but they will have to build on it with Chelsea and West Ham up next in the Premier League.

Bruno Guimaraes delight as Joelinton spotted back at St James' Park

Following the full-time whistle, injured Newcastle midfielder Joelinton was waiting to congratulate his team-mates outside the home dressing room at St James' Park.

The Brazilian hasn't featured for Newcastle since picking up a thigh injury in the 3-0 win over Sunderland and is likely to remain sidelined until the back end of the season.

But that didn't stop Joelinton from enjoying the three points as his compatriot Bruno Guimaraes embraced him with a smile before heading into the dressing room.

Joelinton is a popular member of the first-team squad but his future at Newcastle is uncertain amid a contract stand-off. Howe admitted it is a possibility Joelinton could be sold in the summer but securing him with a new deal is an 'absolute priority' for the club.

Joelinton's current contract expires next summer with talks regarding a new deal ongoing.