Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves gave their hopes of playing European football next season a boost as they beat Fulham to move up to eighth in the Premier League.

Rayan Ait-Nouri opened the scoring early in the second half, converting from Toti Gomes' pull back after Fulham failed to deal adequately with a free-kick from deep.

There was more than a hint of good fortune about the second as Nelson Semedo's shot took a big deflection off Tom Cairney to leave Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno helpless.

Alex Iwobi pulled one back deep into stoppage time with a clever, improvised finish but there was barely time for the game to restart as Wolves held on.

The win for Gary O'Neil's side was all the more impressive given they lost both Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Pedro Neto to injury in the first half.

Meanwhile, Fulham were left to rue missed opportunities having dominated the first half with Harry Wilson firing wide with only the goalkeeper to beat and Tosin Adarabioyo thumping a shot against the bar when left unmarked eight yards out.

Wolves were a changed side after the break, quickly putting Marco Silva's side under pressure with an aggressive high press, led by the impressive Mario Lemina.

They were able to ease off slightly after going two ahead and although they managed to keep the visitors quiet for the most part, Jose Sa was forced to make a smart save to deny Joao Palhinha before Max Kilman headed Rodrigo Muniz's follow-up effort off the line.

Former Wolves winger Adama Traore also had a fierce shot repelled by Sa as Fulham's poor record at Molineux continues.

Iwobi's goal was their first in five visits to the ground and you have to go back to March 1985 for their last win at Wolves, a run of 18 games in league and cup.

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There are five games being played in the Premier League on Saturday and we will bring you every moment.

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

For this weekend's games, he takes on The Zutons frontman Dave McCabe, who supports Liverpool, and Better Joy's Bria Keely, who is a Manchester City fan.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

I didn't expect Wolves to get walloped the way they did at Newcastle last time out, the same way I didn't think Fulham would beat Brighton so convincingly.

I really like what Fulham are doing at the moment, though. They are playing some nice football and, up front, Rodrigo Muniz is in excellent form.

Wolves are definitely without Matheus Cunha through injury so the level of their attacking threat depends on whether Pedro Neto is fit after he came off with a hamstring problem against the Magpies.

Either way, this is another very difficult game to call. I don't want to go for a draw but I do feel like it's the most likely outcome.

Dave's prediction: 1-1

Bria's prediction: 1-1

Read the rest of their predictions here

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League fixture against Fulham.

Here are the main headlines:

• Winger Pedro Neto and goalkeeper Jose Sa are "both feeling 100% fine" and will be in the squad after being forced off with injury problems at half-time in the 3-0 defeat by Newcastle last weekend.

• Sporting director Matt Hobbs said on Thursday that contract talks with O'Neil are planned for the end of the season, but O'Neil is keen to focus on Wolves' remaining fixtures before starting discussions about his own future.

• On how straightforward those talks will be when they take place: "I love it here. I'm really happy and I love everything we're trying to do, even the challenges we've had to face with how we try to do things and changing the model financially. I've loved the reception I've got from the fans and the relationship I have with the fans, the playing squad and the staff. I'm sure when it comes to it, there will be no problems."

• On his relationship with Hobbs: "Matt's a great guy, I wouldn't be here without him. The support I've had from Matt has been something I haven't really experienced in football before as a player or as a manager at my last club. When you have to have awkward conversations, you always know my side and his side are coming from a really good place."

• Wolves announced a financial loss of £67.2m for 2022-23 last week, but O'Neil insisted that does not mean the club will be forced to sell any of its star assets: "We have enough assets within the club, whether they be here or playing elsewhere, that we'll be able to do some stuff in the summer. But also, if we want to be really active and sign players, then we will need to sell some. That doesn't mean we have to sell one of the most expensive ones. It's not like we have to sell, but if we want to do business, there will be people that leave in the summer."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences

Image source, Getty Images

Wolverhampton Wanderers are anxious not to be seen as the poster boys for sticking to the rules in regards to the Premier League Profit and Sustainability limits.

The club have stuck to their guns over spending to make sure they remain under the allowed £105m three-year loss allowance. Their stance was significant in the club parting with former manager Julen Lopetegui.

With Everton already having a six point deduction and Nottingham Forest soon to begin a hearing for a similar charge, Wolves are keen to not suffer a similar fate.

Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs told BBC Sport: "I have to put faith in the Premier League that they will manage what they need to manage."

But, he does seem to have some sympathy for Newcastle United, who despite having lots of money, are restricted under current rules as to what they can spend.

Hobbs added: "Their owner is incredibly wealthy, I'm not sure they should be capped on what they should spend.

"There has to be stuff put in place to protect it going forward, but if they want to spend their money that should be OK. But that's just my opinion."

Image source, Getty Images

Midfielder Tom Cairney says Fulham will head to Molineux "full of confidence" when they take on Wolves on Saturday.

Marco Silva's side have won their past two Premier League games against Manchester United and Brighton.

They also won the reverse fixture with Wolves 3-2 at Craven Cottage in November, with Willian netting the second of his two penalties on the night in second-half stoppage-time.

"It will be difficult," said Cairney on the Footballers' Football Podcast.

"I've been very impressed by Wolves, Gary O'Neil has done a very good job.

"If we win, we go level on points with them and it takes us to 38 points, which will be an incredible return. If you win three Premier League games in a row, it's incredible. We're going there full of confidence but it's a tough game."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Wolves' 23-year-old Portugal winger Pedro Neto and Brentford striker Ivan Toney, 27, are being considered by Arsenal. (Evening Standard, external)

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

One of the more popular devices around football discussion on air and online these days is the ‘would you rather…’ theme. Would you rather win a local derby or beat the champions? Would you rather prioritise the league or go for a Cup?

Most managers, in my experience, are polite enough not to roll their eyes when asked a question like that, although their response is usually the same - both.

That does not make it a silly question. There are two probable reasons why such an answer is almost inevitable: to admit a game does not matter as much as another invites laziness; and in any case, competitors like winning too much.

To be a professional footballer requires a fair bit of winning and it is addictive. Once the floodlights go on, do the top professionals really think about what competition it is? It’s show time.

All the same, such a question may well be asked of Gary O’Neil this week. He looked a little crestfallen at Newcastle, although there was no disgrace in their performance. Wolves were competitive throughout and, given a re-run, might have won, or at least scored first.

More concerning, though, was the feeling that his squad, stretched like a drum skin throughout the season, is finally starting to fray.

Joao Gomes had not recovered from cramp in his hamstring three nights earlier; Jose Sa and Pedro Neto managed only one half. With Hwang Hee-chan seemingly out of action for most of the rest of the season, and Matheus Cunha anxious to return but not yet ready, now is the moment of maximum stress .

It is also the moment of maximum opportunity. O’Neil rightly railed against the idea that a high finish might be beyond them now: "I don’t want us to be happy just to have 38 points… we need to find a way that we are competitive and keep pushing forward."

Wolves fans, delighting at how much better their season is turning out than everyone expected, yearn for that, but also for a Wembley appearance in the FA Cup.

Fulham in the league this weekend; Coventry in the cup after that. A Wembley date looks more achievable than seventh place just now, but to conserve their dwindling resources for the cup game does not feel like the Wolves way, not this season.

Rising ambition demands they go all out for both.

*Wolves v Fulham - commentary on BBC Radio WM (DAB), Saturday from 15:00 GMT

*BBC Radio WM Football Phone-in, weeknights 18:00 GMT

Here are the key facts and figures before Saturday's game between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham in the Premier League.

• Wolves have not lost in their seven Premier League home games against Fulham (W5 D2), the most they have played a side at Molineux without ever losing in the competition. They are unbeaten in 14 home league games against Fulham overall (W10 D4) since a 4-0 reverse in April 1985.

• After their 3-2 win at Craven Cottage in November, Fulham could complete their first ever league double over Wolves, in what is the 44th league campaign in which the two clubs have met.

• Wolves have only failed to score in one of their past 20 Premier League home games, a 2-0 defeat by Brentford last month.

• Fulham have won both of their past two Premier League games, most recently winning more consecutively between December and January last season (four). Both of these wins have come against sides in the top half of the table and the Cottagers most recently won three consecutive Premier League games against sides starting the day in the division's top 10 from October-December 2009 under Roy Hodgson.

• Wolves have scored 40 goals in their 27 Premier League games this season, their most in a single campaign since 2019-20 (51), with their average of 1.5 per game their highest in a Premier League season.

• Having not scored in any of his first 10 Premier League appearances, Rodrigo Muniz has since netted five in his past five league games for Fulham. His five goals are the most by a player aged 22 or younger in a Premier League season for the club since Collins John in 2005-06 (11).

Dave Azzopardi
Fan writer

A disappointing afternoon in Newcastle should not be something that concerns Wolves fans. This stretched squad have given us a lot of positivity so far this season and there are still lots of memories to be made before the end of the season.

European football was never the aim for Wolves in August with the state the club was in. Gary O'Neil was brought in to keep the club in the Premier League and we should all be happy with where the club are currently at and the level of performances we have seen at times so far this season.

To qualify for Europe via the league would be a stretch in my opinion, but we have every right to still be in the conversation.

Because of fatigue and injuries, the loss at Newcastle was due. It was not an abysmal performance but with the lack of creativity and bite from Wolves, it was definitely one to forget. We have seen the squad look a little bit leggy recently but they have shown their quality with the narrow wins over Sheffield United and Brighton.

It is time to move on, though. Fulham will be a tough task this weekend but at Molineux I back us against anyone. Alongside a favourable FA Cup tie against Coventry City, Wolves have every chance at getting to Wembley this season and giving us more memorable moments.

Dave Azzopardi can be found on Talking Wolves, external

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves boss Gary O'Neil says his players "needed direction" when he first took over in August.

O'Neil was appointed less than a week before the start of the season after Julen Lopetegui left, having become frustrated with the club's summer recruitment strategy.

"When you look at the quality in the Wolves squad, there's no doubt they had fantastic players, I didn't feel like we'd ever fall short on quality," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Friday Football Social.

"I felt like there would be a lack of depth because of what the club needed to do financially.

"I thought there would be issues mentally with some of the negativity surrounding the club, and a manager leaving that the players were very fond of.

"I was expecting them to feel a bit lost and when I arrived it was a little bit like that where the lads felt they needed direction initially and needed me to be really clear with them on what we needed to do and what was to be expected.

"People talk about the job I've done so far here but I haven't turned bad players into good ones, I'm no miracle worker. We've worked really hard in creating a good team environment, pushing the lads to perform and pushing the lads to understand what it means to be part of a good team. You can't be disconnected, an individual, or react poorly to a disappointment.

"It needs to be together always and we've managed to achieve some decent results so far. I'm keen for it not to be seen as a success with three and a half months left of the season, because we haven't achieved anything yet.

"We're in a great spot in the league and in a cup quarter-final but the next few months are going to be tougher than the ones we've faced."

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves head coach Gary O'Neil says it was "a shock" to be sacked by Bournemouth after an impressive seven months in charge but "everything worked out for the best" with him being appointed at Molineux.

O'Neil took charge as interim boss of the Cherries after Scott Parker was sacked in August 2022, guiding the team to a 15th-placed finish.

He was appointed Wolves boss just three days before the start of this season but has his side 10th in the Premier League and in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

"It was a surprise of course when you receive the message and then the phone call," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It was a shock. I'd been working through the summer on recruitment targets for the team and still going through plans for pre-season. All of a sudden news like that comes out of the blue. I sort of understood how the game works.

"I was very new into management at that time, did as well as I thought I could at that moment with the group, and maybe Bournemouth felt they needed someone who has been around longer and is further along in their journey.

"If I'm honest, I'm miles better at it now than I was then. I hope that continues to be the case as I move through my managerial career.

"I didn't take it too badly. Obviously the first few days are tough because you feel like there's a hole. Everything you've been working towards and preparing yourself for feel like it's been removed.

"But then, only a few weeks later, I get a fantastic phone call saying a massive job at a club like Wolves might be available.

"So, everything seemed to work out for the best."

We asked you for your thoughts on Saturday's Premier League match between Newcastle and Wolves.

Here are some of your comments:

Newcastle fans

Stephen: Much more like our old selves today. We still looked nervy before the first goal but at two up, we never felt in trouble. It's been a tough year but we are hanging on in there for the European places. Eddie has done a good job to keep us in contention despite the injuries and relatively small squad that has had to deal with all the fixtures.

David: The best performance of 2024. Won 50/50 balls all day. Defence much sharper while Joe Willock and Tino Livramento were great. Sean Longstaff still not at his best, but otherwise it was a considerable improvement.

Simon: Great result. Much better defensive shape and midfield giving greater opportunities to forward players. Not perfect but clearly a step in the right direction against a strong team with good away form this season. Definitely a result to push us forward this season. Well done lads, Eddie and staff.

Alan: Let’s not get carried away - still closer to the bottom four than the top four. Hopefully we will climb another few places before the end of the season. WHY will they not start Livramento every game? He can play virtually any position.

Wolves fans

Ken: It was ludicrous to loan out two central strikers in the window given the size of the squad. I could understand them not buying more players, but that poor decision now threatens to severely impact the rest of a great season. It is not only about goals scored, but in not being able to put enough pressure on opponents as was clear against Newcastle.

Kieran: Shame we lost Pedro Neto and Jose Sa. These injuries are something we can’t afford now. Both Sa and Neto were on good runs of form.

Mike: Disappointing performance - the squad is stretched with too many injuries. However, Newcastle were able to bring on Miguel Almiron and Harvey Barnes, Wolves had to bring on two kids with less than 90 minutes of Premier League experience between them. We will fight on and look for a much better performance next week.

VJ: We just don't have the squad to compete for Europe. Even if we did manage to qualify, it would be detrimental to Premier League survival next season as we don't have the finances to build a big squad. We have achieved what we set out to do this season which was survival so credit to Gary and the lads!

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries in full:

• Nottingham Forest v Liverpool

• Luton Town v Aston Villa

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Wolves manager Gary O'Neil, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It's a tough end to the week, we had key players missing. We had large spells in the game where we looked in control and had loads of the ball.

"There was a touch of good fortune in both of their [first-half] goals. You don’t often see teams at St James’ Park come and dominate the ball. In terms of the group, they gave everything they had.

"It’s just one of those days that you have to accept. Newcastle are on the up, they have a lot of players coming back. We’re as short as we’ve been all year and we’re on the back of three games in six days.

"To miss [Hwang Hee-chan] and [Matheus] Cunha was one thing, but to lose [Jose] Sa and Pedro [Neto] was another blow. But in terms of a group willing to work, we looked like a really good side for a long, long spell."

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

A fine run of six wins in nine league matches had lifted Wolves above Newcastle in the table ahead of their trip to St James' Park, but manager Gary O'Neil will be frustrated with the manner of the Magpies' two first-half goals.

The visitors were carved open too easily after Rayan Ait-Nouri lost possession before Isak's header, while Jose Sa and Max Kilman got in each other's way for Gordon's strike.

Wolves were not helped by injuries to Sa and Pedro Neto, who were replaced by Dan Bentley and 19-year-old Republic of Ireland youth international Nathan Fraser at half-time.

It was Fraser who registered Wolves' first shot on target midway through the second half, his low drive from the edge of the box parried to safety by Martin Dubravka.

The Newcastle goalkeeper also saved well from Pablo Sarabia and Jeanricner Bellegarde, but it was too little, too late from O'Neil's team as they slipped to their first away defeat since 17 December.

• Newcastle have won their first home Premier League game of 2024 – ending a run of four consecutive games in the competition without a win at St James' Park.

• Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has recorded his 100th win in the Premier League, making him the eighth English manager to reach that milestone in the competition.

• Wolves have won just one of their nine away meetings with Newcastle in the Premier League (2-1 in December 2018 under Nuno Espirito Santo) and they’ve lost each of their last three visits to St James’ Park.

• Newcastle have scored in all 18 of their Premier League games against Wolves - only Arsenal (26 v West Brom and 19 v Wolves) have faced a side on more occasions with a 100% scoring record in the competition.

• Alexander Isak has scored 12 goals in his first 20 home Premier League games for Newcastle, only Alan Shearer (21), Andy Cole (21) and Les Ferdinand (16) have scored more in their first 20 at St James' Park for the Magpies.

• Each of Anthony Gordon’s last seven Premier League strikes have come at home. Only Mohamed Salah (13) and Leon Bailey (12) have been directly involved in more home goals than Gordon in the Premier League this season (11 – eight goals, three assists).