STEVE BRUCE cannot buy a break right now but at least Martin Dubravka has not succumbed to the curse of the crocked.
Having finally welcomed back a number of players from injury, the jinx appeared broken.
Dwight Gayle was forced off injured before half-timeCredit: Reuters
Steve Bruce will start to think his players are cursed given his recent injury woesCredit: Reuters
And then both Paul Dummett and Dwight Gayle were forced off before half-time for Newcastle.
At least that was better than last time out at Leicester, when three were crocked before the break.
But if there was one saving grace for Bruce it is that Dubravka was at the top of his game.
The Slovakian stopper pulled off two stunning saves, one on each half, to deny Wolves all three points.
It was a much better point for Bruce than for his counterpart Nuno Espírito Santo.
With their treatment room seeing more visitors than the training pitch in recent times, he will take a dogged point at a tough venue every time.
Not only that, it also stops the rot of three straight losses.
Wolves were far from their fluent best but were only denied by Dubravka’s heroics.
Miguel Almiron scored his third goal in six games in the first-halfCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The Paraguayan slotted home from close range after just seven minutesCredit: Rex Features
In the first-half he somehow saved Raul Jimenez’s header from point-blank range, with the majority of Molineux already celebrating.
And then towards the end he clawed out Pedro Neto’s header when the goal was gaping.
Bruce kept faith in the misfiring Joelinton and handed Dwight Gayle just his second start of the season.
And the ex-Crystal Palace striker was straight into the mix, setting up Almiron’s opener after seven minutes.
Jetro Willems showed some nifty footwork down the left and found Gayle in the centre.
The ball was slightly behind the striker but he managed to get a touch to lay it into the path of Almiron who buried into the top corner.
It was the finish of a man oozing confidence which was hardly surprising as it was the midfielder’s third in six games after waiting almost a year to open his Magpies account.
It was some light relief for the travelling Toon Army after three league defeats and a spirit-crushing 1-1 draw at Rochdale in the FA Cup.
Leander Dendoncker equalised just seven minutes laterCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The midfielder was mobbed by his teammates after levelling the scoresCredit: Reuters
But their joy was short-lived when the hosts equalised seven minutes later.
Joao Moutinho’s corner went through a number of defenders and found its way to Dendoncker, who smartly swept home into the bottom corner.
Bruce had already lost Dummett early on when Gayle was forced off with a hamstring injury after 27 minutes.
So he will have been happy to get in and regroup at half-time with the game still level – though only thanks to a wonder-save from Dubravka to deny Jimenez’s header from no more than two-yards out.
Nuno’s side continued where they left off after the break, with the menacing Traore doing Willems all ends up and floating it to the back post.
A scuffed clearance fell straight to Matt Doherty, who prodded goalbound but was denied by Matty Longstaff’s goal-line clearance.
And Wolves had the best chance of the second-half, but again Dubravka was up to the job, saving Neto’s header at the back post, which looked destined to win it for the hosts.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
