Newcastle United equalled their club-record for successive victories by winning for the ninth match in a row in all competitions, seeing off struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park.
This was their sixth straight Premier League win, propelling Eddie Howe’s side back into the Champions League qualification spots, with Newcastle now sitting in fourth place.
Alexander Isak broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when he came in off the left and his eventual shot hit Rayan Ait-Nouri and left Jose Sa helpless.
The Sweden forward doubled the lead 12 minutes after the break following good work from Bruno Guimaraes, before he laid on Anthony Gordon for Newcastle’s third in the 74th minute.
George Caulkin and Chris Waugh analyse the talking points from St James’ Park.
Who can stop Isak?
Just give the ball to Isak. Give him it and see what happens. On other occasions, it has been a thunderbolt. It has been a sprint, a dart, a feint and deft finish. It has been artistry, a hovering on the air followed by a caress.
This time it was half-beauty, half-beast, a 34th-minute combination of skilful running in from the left, bagatelle with defenders, close control and then a shot which took a huge deflection off Ait-Nouri and wrong-footed Sa, the goalkeeper.
Alexander Isak breaks the deadlock! 🔓
He scores in his EIGHTH consecutive Premier League game 🔥
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/AVuDiIMS8G
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 15, 2025
And for U.S. readers
WHO ELSE?
Alexander Isak scores in his EIGHTH consecutive Premier League game thanks to a big deflection!
📺 Peacock | #NEWWOL pic.twitter.com/Uut07Nm9vM
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 15, 2025
But this is what comes of playing in the Premier League’s most in-form striker. This is what happens: he took a game which was meandering slightly and made it his own. Only the best can do that and Isak is unequivocally up there.
In one respect, he is now out on his own. Until this moment, no Newcastle player had scored in eight consecutive Premier League matches but Isak has now drawn ahead of Alan Shearer (in 1996-97) and Joe Willock (2020-21). He is a record-breaker.
Only four players in the Premier League era have managed this feat, with Isak joining Jamie Vardy (who holds the divisional record with 11), Ruud van Nistelrooy and Daniel Sturridge. All in all, it is not bad company to keep and at 25, Isak is only going to improve.
He has everything, including Shearer’s willingness to help out in defence when necessary. As the first half ended, Isak nudged Goncalo Guedes out of possession in the penalty area, preventing a clear goalscoring opportunity. Just give him the ball, even there.
His second was more pure, meeting an exquisite through pass from Guimaraes with a well-placed finish. He even made a third for Gordon. So cool, so good.
George Caulkin
Can Howe’s team make it perfect 10?
For only the third time in their history, and only the second in a top-flight season, Newcastle have recorded nine consecutive victories across all competitions.
Kevin Keegan’s upstart “Entertainers” did so in 1994 (spread across two seasons), then Rafa Benitez’s Championship-winning side did so between September and November 2016, and now Howe’s team have matched the feat.
This momentous achievement is all the more impressive, given Newcastle were turned over 4-2 at Brentford on December 7. In the 39 days since, and actually inside just 32, they have triumphed nine times across three separate competitions, including in a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Arsenal, with six straight victories in the Premier League.
During that run, they have scored 26 goals, conceded only three and Martin Dubravka has kept six clean sheets, with Santiago Bueno seeing his effort disallowed for accidental handball. Across all competitions, Newcastle have now managed 11 shutouts this season, eight of them in the league, including in five of their last six top-flight games.
Howe has guided his team to nine wins on the spin (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Having languished in 12th after that Brentford reversal, Newcastle are now back in the top four, on course for a return to the Champions League, have a two-goal advantage after the League Cup semi-final first leg, and are still in the FA Cup.
Momentum is certainly with Howe’s men and, should they overcome Bournemouth at St James’ Park in the Premier League on Saturday, then they will claim that consecutive-victory record as their own.
Was this goodbye to Almiron?
Was this Almiron’s final appearance for Newcastle? There has already been one false farewell at the club this month, with Dubravka saying an emotional — and, as it turns out, premature — goodbye to travelling supporters after the 2-0 victory at Arsenal in the Carabao Cup last week.
Eight days on, Dubravka remains at Newcastle and also remains pivotal, with Howe desperate to keep the balance of his team intact and minimise disruption as they continue this extraordinary run of theirs while fighting on three fronts. As things stand, Dubravka will not be joining Al Shabab.
Almiron is a different case. The Paraguay international, who joined Newcastle from Atlanta United six years ago and is now attracting serious interest from his former club, has only started one game in the Premier League this season.
Jacob Murphy, Gordon, Harvey Barnes and Joelinton have all been selected ahead of him on the right, although Barnes will now be missing for a month with a thigh injury.
Almiron could be heading back to MLS (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
While Howe said on Tuesday morning that Almiron is “an important part of the squad”, the 30-year-old is no longer integral and a fee of around £11million ($13.45m), would be difficult to turn down for a club which remains mindful of their Premier League profit and sustainability obligations. Newcastle need to trade and, eventually, they will need to refresh.
Almiron has been a fine servant but he is now on the fringes. Against Wolves, he came on in the 78th minute, replacing Murphy and offering his usual hard running in a game that was already won.
As the players and staff did their usual lap of appreciation afterwards, there was no outward show of emotion. If this was goodbye, it was a quiet one.
What did Eddie Howe say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Newcastle?
Saturday, January 18: Bournemouth (H), Premier League, 12.30pm GMT, 7.30am ET
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(Top photo: Willock congratulates Isak on his opener. Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
