Hwang double gives Wolves 2-1 win over Newcastle

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:03 am

South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan struck twice from assists by Raul Jimenez to help Wolverhampton Wanderers to a 2-1 home win over Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday as they moved clear of the relegation zone.

The result lifted Wolves up to 10th in the table on nine points from seven games. Newcastle slipped to 19th on three points and continued their winless streak, piling the pressure on manager Steve Bruce.

"Whoever you are in the Premier League, if you haven't won in seven games we all know the drill," Bruce told the BBC. "We all know what comes.

"It's not easy. It still disappoints you and upsets you. I look at myself straight away. Can we do better? We'll keep looking at it and working on it."

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Hwang, who is on loan at Wolves from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, fired the hosts ahead in the 20th minute with a neat finish from a tight angle after Jimenez released him with a lovely through ball.

Wolves beat Newcastle to move into the top half in the Premier League.
Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Newcastle equalised in the 41st as Jeff Hendrick, who came on five minutes earlier for the injured Joe Willock, drilled in a low shot from 30 metres across Jose Sa as the goalkeeper was left scrambling to get back to his line.

Wolves clinched it in the 58th minute after more sublime work by Jimenez, who turned two markers superbly and delivered another defence-splitting pass for Hwang to side-foot past visiting keeper Karl Darlow.

The pace dropped in the closing stages and Wolves held out comfortably as the visitors failed to trouble Sa, with their French forward Allan Saint-Maximin lacking any support up front. 

Wolves captain Conor Coady was delighted with their second successive win before the international break, heaping praise on Jimenez and Hwang after the duo tormented the Newcastle defence all afternoon.

"To see them linking up well in games is fantastic," Coady told the BBC. "Back-to-back wins in the Premier League is huge."

Hendrick, who scored Newcastle's equaliser, was disappointed.

"I thought we worked hard and to come away without a point is tough to take," he said.

"It's nice from a personal point of view to get a goal. The only big thing is we have got quite a bit of time before the next game. It's still early in the season. Of course he (Steve Bruce) is hurting. We are all hurting."