Wolverhampton Wanderers

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Wolves manager Gary O'Neil has been speaking to BBC Radio WM following his side's Carabao Cup exit: "There is frustration, of course. There are lots of positives but obviously the main thing is always the result, of course it is. We know that the run of fixtures we are in is brutal.

"We made a lot of changes but the team still functioned well. We made some errors without the ball in the first half that gave Brighton a little bit too much joy. Once we managed to get that tidied up with the players, they were able to follow the plan much better.

"We were the better side, which takes some doing here. We should've won that second half with no problem. Of course, should have's and could have's aren't going to help us, but moving forward you can still see that we're giving ourselves good opportunities to win football matches against tough teams.

"Unfortunately, at this moment in time, we haven't managed to turn one [result] our way. The lads are still taking a lot of heart from how well we're able to do on the road against a tough side that haven't lost yet this season.

"Gutted to lose again. Gutted that the lads gave themselves such a great opportunity of getting a big result on the board for us. Just that last little bit let us down and the sucker-punch at 3-1 made it difficult.

"So far, my guess would be that we have been second-favourite in every game. I think we will be for the next few as well so we're having to fight against the odds at the minute. We are doing enough to get results, but we are falling a bit short."

On giving some of his other squad players the chance to impress: "I thought [Goncalo] Guedes was excellent. He has obviously had a tough few years with injuries and being unsettled at the club. He showed quality, he was bright and he worked unbelievably hard for the team.

"So there were lots of positives in that, but we will always come back to the result."

Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist

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It is tough times for Wolves manager Gary O'Neil after another game without a win for his side.

Wolves are now 18th in the Premier League and have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup.

O'Neil's side made a good show of themselves in the opening game away at Arsenal but were ultimately beaten 2-0 by the title contenders.

That was then followed up by a disappointing loss at home to Chelsea, a game in which Wolves shipped six goals.

Wolves' only point in the league came away at Nottingham Forest before being narrowly beaten at home to Newcastle, despite leading for much of the match.

With Aston Villa away up next, O'Neil may well start to feel the strain of having just one point from a possible 12.

Wolves finished in 14th last season, 20 points above Luton in 18th, and may have had ambitions to push on.

However, after a tough run of form, their ambition for this term may well be to remain in the Premier League.

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Have your say on Brighton’s performance, external

What did you make of Wolves’ display?, external

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Three Premier League teams are in Carabao Cup third-round action on Wednesday:

• Brighton v Wolves - 19:45

• Coventry v Tottenham - 20:00

Kick-off times BST

Follow live text commentary of those games

Wolves, Bournemouth and Fulham are interested in Cameroon defender Joel Matip, 33, who remains a free agent after leaving Liverpool during the summer (HITC), external

Meanwhile, Gary O'Neil has joined Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and West Ham in admiring Red Bull Salzburg's 24-year-old French defender Oumar Solet. (HITC), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Wolves head coach Gary O'Neil says he's not "willing to risk really important players in key areas of the pitch" in Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie with Brighton.

After only picking up one point so far this season and with difficult games against Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City to come before November, O'Neil has said changes should be expected for the cup.

"It's a game we want to win but a game we will probably need to make changes," he said after Sunday's 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle.

Craig Dawson is one of the players O'Neil described as "high risk" with the prospect of academy players coming in to take his place.

"It would be tricky to put too much on Daws. Yerson (Mosquera) has some issues with his calf and we were slightly concerned about him going into the Newcastle game, so it would be a big risk to put him out there.

"Toti (Gomes) will probably miss it with his hamstring issues. There are some decisions which need to be made but I'm not willing to risk really important players to us in key areas of the pitch with a big game coming up against Aston Villa.

"We could see young lads at centre-back at Brighton."

Despite sitting in the Premier League relegation zone, O'Neil is remaining positive and he hopes his players feel the same.

"There is a few things that impact confidence: one is results, the second is performance and you can take belief from the way you played and the lads understand that," he added.

"They know, especially with the draw being away to Brighton, with the tough Premier League games we have had we have to keep giving our best all the time."

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Wolves goalkeeper Dan Bentley has signed a new three-year contract, with an option for a further year, to extend his stay at Molineux.

The 31-year-old shot-stopper joined the club on a two-and-a-half year deal from Championship side Bristol City in January 2023.

Bentley has since gone on to make 10 appearances in all competitions, keeping five clean sheets along the way.

Sporting Director Matt Hobbs said: "Everyone is aware of the interest for Dan in the summer, but he has always wanted to stay here.

"There was going to be an inevitability behind this deal even before the interest came, but we just felt it was the right thing for us to do.

"When someone has come in, done well for us, trains well, fits in really well, is a leader off the pitch, is great for the culture, is great for the standards inside the dressing room, and is homegrown - then it is a decision we were always going to make."

Dazzling Dave
Fan writer

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Wolves have been battling an ongoing issue with their form, managing just one victory in their past 14 Premier League matches and failing to keep a clean sheet in 16 games.

This record is concerning, raising questions about whether Wolves have lost their winning touch.

The season's start has been particularly challenging for Wolves, and the fixture list doesn't offer any relief soon.

We have to play four more top-six teams in our next five games. If results don't improve quickly, a losing mentality could take hold, increasing pressure and leaving Wolves deep in the relegation zone.

Despite this, Wolves have shown quality on the pitch. Gary O'Neil has several strong attacking options, and we managed a superb team goal against Newcastle. However, we failed to capitalise on multiple opportunities to secure a more comfortable position. We must find the killer instinct to extend our lead when we're on top.

The key difference between winning and losing lay in the tactics. Eddie Howe's half-time adjustments proved pivotal as Wolves retreated deeper and deeper. When the substitutions were finally made, they had little impact. I would have preferred the tenacity of Pablo Sarabia over Hwang Hee-chan, who is out of form and contributed little.

A highlight was Andre's impressive debut at Molineux. He was commanding and skilful, and his departure was noticeable. His performance included 100% pass accuracy with 40 completed passes. At just £20m, he’s a steal.

Newcastle are a strong side aiming for a top-four finish, and we more than held our own against them. Given our fixture list, it was expected we'd find ourselves near the relegation zone.

I have many concerns and I worry that the pitchforks will be out, but I urge Wolves fans to keep faith as there are signs that this team has great potential if we can find a winning mentality.

Find more from Dazzling Dave at Always Wolves, external

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Wolves and Newcastle.

Here are some of your comments:

Wolves fans

Duane So full of hope after the first half. We had chances to kill it but were undone by two sucker punches. We really need to find that ability to push on in winning positions. If we don't, by the time the easier matches come we will be totally devoid of confidence.

Chris: I had fears when I saw the teamsheet. I thought that, except for Cunha, Dawson, Semedo and Ait-Nori, our strongest team was on the bench. Schoolboy errors in defending by failing to cover the long-range shooter. This is the result of selling your best players and not giving the new men time to bed in.

John: Far too easy for Newcastle. Get rid of O'Neil before it's too late.

Newcastle fans

Andy: Seemed better in the early stages of the first half that we had played all season. Then the rot set in again and we lost the control and allowed Wolves to cause us problems. Barnes and Tonali changed the game. Longstaff should only ever be a sub - he hasn't got what it takes at the level we need to press forward.

Mark: Early on, we dominated without a clear threat. Lucky only to concede one. Late on, we stretched their defence well, without getting down the sides to feed in crosses. In the end, two well-taken shots from the edge of the box were the difference. The defensive structure is working well for now but may come under pressure against top-four contenders.

Joe: We got lucky. We haven’t been the better team in a single game this season. If Eddie Howe doesn’t sort it before his luck runs out, both he and the club could be in big trouble.

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Saturday's games.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool 0-1 Nottingham Forest

• Aston Villa 3-2 Everton

• Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal

• Wolves 1-2 Newcastle United

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Context is everything and boss Gary O'Neil has been at pains to point out Wolves' circumstances.

It is one win in 14 games, if last season's disappointing conclusion is taken into account, but it is not something O'Neil is entertaining.

He did not bristle at the suggestion in his post match press conference after Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Newcastle, he understands the talk around their form, but it was clear he feels it should not be taken into account.

He called it "irrelevant" to compare the two and that is understandable given there has been a summer and a transfer window between them.

Yet in order to silence any doubters or detractors Wolves need to win. Their performances have been good enough - they could have beaten Newcastle - and there remains belief they can arrest any issues in time.

O'Neil pointed out the level of opposition - expecting Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle to finish in the top six - while they have taken a point from Nottingham Forest who may be more on their level.

He highlighted the important context but results are what Wolves need now.

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Gary O'Neil spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Wolves' defeat to Newcastle: "It is the Premier League and it can happen. We have got some tough games against teams who are going to finish high up the league and unfortunately they can kill you with moments. I asked the group to give everything and that was pretty close to everything today. We made an error for the second goal which was the only disappointment for me. Harvey Barnes was allowed to come inside which shouldn't have happened. Losing Nelson Semedo to cramp was bad and he is important for us so we need to make sure he is alright."

On Andre's first start: "Very good, he's a good player obviously. New system today with the three midfielders in. An awful lot of positives. Of course the only positives that people are interested in is points. From my point of view, to have come up with a new structure for the team and for it to look how it did against Newcastle was a big plus for us.

On the performance: "Looking forward to what we can do. Tough run coming up, one of the toughest starts fixture wise. If we play like that every week then we will be absolutely fine. If we maintain our level, that sort of performance will pick up a lot of points this season. Keep pushing."

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Wolves midfielder Andre completed all 40 of his passes today against Newcastle, the most on record by a player on their first ever Premier League start without misplacing one (since 2003-04).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

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What did you make of Newcastle’s display?, external

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Read the match report and follow reaction

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Gary O'Neil has painted Wolves as underdogs again this season.

The closure of the transfer window has clearly left the manager in a better mood and he is noticeably brighter now he knows what he has to work with for the next four months.

He underlined a siege mentality when speaking ahead of facing Newcastle, with games against Aston Villa, Liverpool, Brentford and Manchester City to follow.

"Not many people outside of here expect us to take many points but that is not our expectation," he said at Compton on Friday.

It is easy to see why but at Molineux last season Wolves beat Chelsea, Tottenham and City while drew with Newcastle and Villa as well as running Liverpool and Manchester United close.

Their expected goals (XG) was higher than Chelsea's in the chaotic 6-2 home defeat to the Blues last month and they will remain a threat, especially at home.

Yet, failure to take at least a point against the Magpies will result in Wolves' worst start to a season since returning to the Premier League in 2018.

That would bring mild cause for concern but O'Neil has been here before, when Wolves were written off when he replaced the unhappy Julen Lopetegui just days before the start of last season.

It still feels too early to worry about Wolves' prospects. The squad needs time to settle after what was a turbulent summer with the loss of Pedro Neto and Max Kilman, near transfer misses and deadline day arrivals of Sam Johnstone and Andre.

O'Neil got it right last season in difficult circumstances and he is in tune with what is needed again.

There are two Premier League games on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction throughout the day.

All times BST

BBC Radio 5 Live match commentary on both games on BBC Sounds

• Wolves v Newcastle - BBC Radio WM from 16:30 BST

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week four, he takes on Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunjobi from jazz band Ezra Collective, the 2023 Mercury Music Prize winners.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Newcastle are unbeaten in the Premier League so far but their performances have not been there and they have got away with it a little bit up until now.

Wolves, in contrast, are yet to win. They made lots of mistakes when they got hammered 6-2 by Chelsea, but created plenty of chances themselves too.

Is it going to click for Newcastle this time, or will Wolves get it together? You could make a case for both teams and, whoever wins, it would not surprise me.

The safe bet would be a draw here, and you can guarantee that is the result the public will vote for above, but only spineless people would go for that ...

Koleoso's prediction: 1-1

These are both tricky teams to predict. Newcastle don't look good at all, and Wolves kind of gave up against Chelsea.

Ogunjobi prediction: 2-1

Wolves looked good against Chelsea in the first half, then fell apart. I reckon they will take this one.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Jose Sa could leave Wolves after losing his place to Sam Johnstone, boss Gary O'Neil admits.

The 31-year-old was dropped after Johnstone's £10m arrival last month.

Johnstone joined on deadline day from Crystal Palace and started in the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest before the international break.

He is expected to play in Sunday's Premier League game against Newcastle at Molineux.

Sa has been number one since joining from Olympiakos in 2021, but O'Neil conceded he could look for first-team football elsewhere.

"I understand Jose won’t want to be number two for too long - especially not at this stage of his career with the quality that he has," he said.

"You see it at other clubs. You can keep two number ones together, but for a short time. After that it becomes difficult - they go off and try to become a number one somewhere again.

"If Jose doesn’t get that here, I’m sure he’ll go and try to get it somewhere else.

"The conversations between me and him have been honest and professional. We’re both understanding of the situation and where we are with it."

Sa has made 118 appearances for Wolves and only signed a new four-year contract, which was due to keep him at Molineux until 2027, 12 months ago.

O’Neil added: "He won’t be happy if he’s not playing and I wouldn’t expect him to be.

"It’s part and parcel - it’s no problem for me. Jose knows what I think of him and what the position is.

"We all have our own decisions to make, but so far, the way he’s trained and worked has been excellent. He knows he needs to be here and needs to fight - but things could change in the future."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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It has been widely accepted for some time but Wolves boss Gary O'Neil slipped in a telling quote during his pre-Newcastle news conference.

Wolves' finances are known to have been restricted this window, but the manager has given the clearest indication things are changing for, potentially, the foreseeable future.

"The transfer windows now for Wolves are not what they were. [Ruben] Neves, Matheus Cunha, and Mario [Lemina] arrived for big fees. It's different," he said.

"The excitement, for me, is we know where we are now. We have the opportunity to upset what people expect from us this year."

There were frustrations with the limitations during the summer, with O'Neil saying the squad was not where he expected it to be in terms of transfers, but it is clear he will meet the challenge head on.

O'Neil still has credit in the bank from a positive first season and was clearly buoyant at Compton now the window has closed and the distractions are over.

Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brentford and Manchester City await in the Premier League in their next four games but, given O'Neil's track record of producing unexpected results, Wolves should not be written off during a tricky fixture list.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Boss Gary O'Neil admits the days of Wolves spending big are over for now but is relishing the underdog challenge.

The head coach has previously spoken about finances being tight and has suggested that will continue at Molineux.

Wolves still spent over £50m in the summer, including the deadline day additions of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and midfielder Andre, and are committed to making Jorgen Strand Larsen's loan permanent for £22m if he triggers clauses from his loan from Celta Vigo.

They also have an £11.4m option to sign loanee Carlos Forbs from Ajax.

Wolves sold Pedro Neto and Max Kilman to Chelsea and West Ham respectively for a combined £94m but O'Neil conceded the club, who do not have any profit and sustainability concerns, will still need to work with a tight budget.

He said: "The transfer windows now for Wolves are not what they were. [Ruben] Neves, Matheus Cunha, and Mario [Lemina] arrived for big fees. It's different. The excitement for me now is we know where we are now, we have opportunity to upset what people expect from us this year.

"It's what I've done since I started with Bournemouth and with Wolves last year.

"I know there is enough in this group that if we can push and drive we can upset a few and pick up some good results and punch above our weight.

"Not many people outside of Wolves will give us a chance and I always try to give the players enough freedom in games anyway.

"We know at this moment we are going to play a lot of teams who are expected to finish high up the league.

"Our expectation is to show we have got a good side and see what we can achieve."