Rayan Ait-Nouri’s third goal in four games earned Wolves a 1-1 draw at relegation-battling Burnley.

Jacob Bruun Larsen volleyed in a fine goal for the hosts in the 37th minute but Ait-Nouri levelled deep into first-half stoppage time and Burnley’s late push for a winner came to nothing.

The Clarets extended their unbeaten run to four games but Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win over Fulham saw the gap to safety grow to six points with seven games left while Wolves remain in touch with the battle for European places.

Burnley were once again playing some encouraging stuff in the opening stages as Wilson Odobert found space between the lines and they launched a number of runs into the Wolves box but without finding a way to threaten Jose Sa’s goal.

Wolves’ threat came mostly on the break and when Nelson Semedo burst forward down the right he rolled the ball back for Ait-Nouri on the edge of the box but a poor touch from the Algerian allowed Vitinho to steal the ball away.

As Burnley fans in one block of the Jimmy McIlroy stand behind Aro Muric’s goal were being evacuated due to a strip of metal left hanging from the roof, Joao Gomes headed just wide of the target and towards the newly-emptied seats.

But Burnley were quickly back on the front foot and Lyle Foster slipped the ball for Vitinho to run at goal but his shot was too close to Sa.

However, the Portuguese goalkeeper could do nothing about Larsen’s strike as the on-loan Hoffenheim man met Dara O’Shea’s ball from deep on the volley to sweep it into the far corner.

Wolves’ 18-year-old striker Leon Chiwome, making only his second Premier League appearance, fired wide after a scramble in the area but the visitors did not have an effort on goal until equalising three minutes into stoppage time.

Burnley were upset by a soft free-kick decision against O’Shea, then failed to deal with the consequences as Pablo Sarabia’s cross was headed in by Ait-Nouri, with the goal surviving a VAR check.

Ait-Nouri might have had a second eight minutes into the second half when he latched on to a fine ball from Matt Doherty and beat Maxime Esteve to go clean through on goal but Muric stood firm to block the Algerian’s strike.

Burnley responded with one of their best moves of the game.

Foster laid the ball off for the advancing Vitinho on the right and he pulled the ball back for Josh Cullen in front of goal but Sa repelled the midfielder’s low shot.

Odobert then tested the goalkeeper with a powerful shot when a loose ball fell to him in the area.

Matheus Cunha came off the bench to make his first Wolves appearance since mid-February following a hamstring injury while Vincent Kompany sent on Jay Rodriguez as Burnley tried to find a winner.

The veteran striker did have the ball in the net in the 87th minute but the flag was up for offside and the points were shared.

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has said the standard of refereeing in the Premier League “hasn’t been good enough” this season.

Kompany was sent off during Saturday’s 2-2 draw away to Chelsea for his protests against a penalty decision which also led to defender Lorenz Assignon seeing red, the latest in a string of incidents Kompany believes have gone against the relegation-battling Clarets.

Kompany said he spoke to referee Darren England after Saturday’s match to apologise for his choice of words at the time, and he has also had a number of discussions with referees’ chief Howard Webb, but on Monday he was clear he felt standards have dropped this term.

“I’ll keep saying what I think,” Kompany said. “I’m not shying away from it and I’ve said it to the referees themselves, the officials, refereeing hasn’t been good enough this season.

“And I have said that in, I think, a constructive way, understanding as well the fact it’s not easy for them. The scrutiny is massive, the pressure is bigger than it’s ever been on the officials.

“I think the addition of VAR and more opinions and more officials doesn’t make it easy for them to do their jobs.”

Kompany, who had 11 seasons as a player for Manchester City, said he had always regarded English refereeing as the best in the world, but this season’s experience has raised questions.

“I felt common sense was always trying to be applied,” he added. “You make a mistake and we all have a laugh about it and usually the traditional view is that it all evens itself out over the course of a season.

“This year, I haven’t felt like this. Where we are in the league doesn’t really matter for me, it’s not in that conversation.

“I’m not afraid to say it. I saw the interview of my colleague, (Sheffield United manager) Chris Wilder, that I’m fond of and that I really respect, and he said he’s a hard-working Yorkshireman, he doesn’t want to be fined anymore.

“I haven’t got any issues with being fined. I just want it to be right. It’s not something I say in a vindictive way, you can see I’m not even as angry anymore. We’ve just got to get it right and at this moment in time, it’s fallen short.”

Despite playing more than half of Saturday’s match a man down at Stamford Bridge, Burnley twice came from behind to earn a point, and might even have won it late on.

Having taken five points from their last three games, Burnley go into Tuesday’s match against Wolves with renewed hope they could yet pull off a great escape, sitting four points from safety with eight games to go.

“All we’re asking is to have an opportunity,” Kompany said. “If between now and the end of the season, we have just one opportunity, that’s enough for us. It’s trying to bring ourselves into a position where we give ourselves a chance…

“It’s difficult to go through the season we’ve gone through and at the end to still be a team, to still be a team as players, as a staff. But I think that’s who we are.

“Whatever happens in the next eight games, whether we win all eight of them or lose all eight of them, that is not going to change and that’s going to be the foundation of next season as well.”

Aston Villa face a nervous wait to find out the extent of Ollie Watkins’ hamstring injury.

Boss Unai Emery confirmed the England international was taken off at half-time of the 2-0 win over Wolves with the problem and will undergo tests on Sunday.

He is now a major doubt for the midweek trip to Manchester City and Villa will be desperately hoping the injury is not a serious one as they enter a crucial run-in where they are aiming for Champions League qualification and Europa Conference League glory.

Their top-four hopes were boosted by victory over their midlands rivals, with goals from Moussa Diaby and Ezri Konsa in either half earning a vital three points.

Emery said: “He was feeling something, hamstring, more or less, and he was telling us he could carry on playing but the doctor told us it was better not to play with risk and we decided to stop him.

“Tomorrow we will check him and maybe its his hamstring, we hope not a lot, but we will see.”

On the game, Emery said it was important to get back to winning ways at home after recent losses to Newcastle, Manchester United and Tottenham.

“Very important, those three points here in Villa Park have been difficult, so many times we have played here against Newcastle, Manchester United and Tottenham, all different matches, but we didn’t achieve in those matches,” the Spaniard added.

“But we are being consistent and we are recovering our confidence and our way.

“Today, I think the important was victory. We were serious.”

Wolves were left to rue a big miss by Rayan Ait-Nouri with the score at 0-0 as the Algeria international failed to convert when he had time and space at the far post.

Boss Gary O’Neil said: “It’s a goal. I mean, 99 times out of 100 in a Premier League game that ends in a goal.

“He has got a big area of the goal to hit and he is not very far out so you’d back him to score.

“Sometimes it doesn’t go your way and the goalie makes a good save. Rayan played two 90 minutes for Algeria in the week and I thought he maybe didn’t look as sharp as he has done and a bit tired.

“The only thing I was disappointed with to be honest was the result. Performance-wise there were loads and loads of positives.

“Obviously we didn’t come here to lose so it is really disappointing that we did. But that performance I can sign up for no problem, if that is what the lads are going to give and that’s what we are going to be, that will be enough to win us enough games and keep us moving in the right direction.”

Aston Villa maintained their pursuit of Champions League qualification with a 2-0 win over Wolves at Villa Park.

Unai Emery's men had been knocked down into fifth by Tottenham’s late win over Luton earlier on Saturday but they responded in style in the midlands derby.

Moussa Diaby notched his first Premier League goal of 2024 to open the scoring in the first half before Ezri Konsa celebrated his recent England debut with a rare strike, though it was a fluke.

He will not care too much about that as his side climbed back up into fourth position, three points above Spurs, as they chase qualification to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time.

It was also an important victory considering they visit Manchester City in midweek, but the one worry will be the condition of Ollie Watkins, who did not reappear after the half-time interval.

Wolves, so depleted of attacking options they were forced to hand a Premier League debut to 18-year-old striker Leon Chiwome, will regret the glaring chance missed by Rayan Ait-Nouri early in the game as they slipped to a defeat which damages their own hopes of qualifying for Europe.

Villa knew exactly what they had to do after Spurs’ late rally and thought they had made the perfect start when Douglas Luiz forced the ball home after Jose Sa had saved from Watkins, but the England striker was offside and the goal was chalked off.

Wolves should have been celebrating going in front as they spurned a golden chance in the 15th minute.

Santiago Bueno’s cross from the right made it through to an unmarked Ait-Nouri at the far post, but Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez got across brilliantly to deny a certain goal.

Villa began to up the intensity and Watkins had the sort of opportunity he usually gobbles up as Youri Tielemans played him through on goal, but this time he clipped into the side-netting.

Pau Torres then glanced a header straight at Sa before Villa’s dominance was rewarded with a 36th-minute breakthrough.

Luiz’s free-kick was fizzed back across goal by Leon Bailey and, with the aid of a deflection, the ball fell perfectly for Diaby, who lashed home from the edge of the area to end his league drought.

Watkins’ half-time exit disrupted Villa’s fluency after the restart and they needed a huge dollop of luck to double their lead in the 65th minute.

A sweeping move saw the ball played out to Konsa on the overlap and he skewed his chipped cross from the right byline over the head of Sa and in off the far post.

Nicolo Zaniolo, who was the driving force behind the second goal, then had two quickfire chances to kill the game but shot straight at Sa on both occasions.

Villa closed out the game without any issues to register an important win in the race for the top four.

Gary O’Neil said there is no truth in reports that he will leave Wolves in order to replace Erik ten Hag as manager of Manchester United.

A number of names have been linked with Old Trafford since minority investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe took charge of football operations earlier this year.

O’Neil, appointed at Molineux days before the start of the current season, has overseen an impressive campaign in which Wolves have far exceeded expectations.

They currently sit ninth and are 20 points clear of the relegation zone despite having been tipped to struggle following the departure of former boss Julen Lopetegui in August.

Instead they have sights on possible European qualification and could finish the weekend in seventh – likely to be worth a place in next season’s Europa Conference League – if they beat Aston Villa on Saturday evening and other results go their way.

Despite his rising personal profile, O’Neil dismissed suggestions he is being lined up for the United job.

“I don’t know where it came from,” he said.

“Growing up, Liverpool and Manchester United always felt special. It’s an honour to be linked even if there’s no truth in it.

“I love it here. I’m a head coach, I’m always going to be a head coach. I’m really enjoying my time at Wolves. I was only made aware of (the links) by the media team to prepare for your questions.”

Matheus Cunha is in contention to feature against Villa having missed most of the last two months with a hamstring injury.

The 24-year-old went off during his team’s home defeat to Brentford on February 10 but could return to the fold on Saturday.

He has scored 11 goals in all competitions in what is is his first campaign since signing permanently from Atletico Madrid.

“He will play some football for us this week,” said O’Neil. “He’s back, he’s fine and has worked his socks off. He’s shaved an enormous amount of time off the medical diagnosis of what he had.

“He’s done unbelievably well and now the decision for me is when and how long he plays. He is training, sprinting and has done everything you can do to test the hamstring, apart from being put into a Premier League game.

“It’s now on me to decide if that’s from the start tomorrow, the bench tomorrow or from the start on Tuesday (against Burnley).

“We’re trying to get it right for him as he’s massively important to us for tomorrow’s game, but also the nine after that.”

What the papers say

Arsenal’s pursuit of a striker has received some encouragement from a potential target. Newcastle’s Sweden forward Alexander Isak, 24, admitted “things can happen” during the summer according to the Daily Mail.

The Gunners have been tracking another Sweden forward but the Sun reports scouting trips to see Viktor Gyokeres, 25, at Sporting have seen the Lisbon club’s Ivory Coast centre-back Ousmane Diomande, 20, catch their eye.

Wolves are in pole position to sign Southampton’s Scotland striker Che Adams according to The Daily Telegraph. The 27-year-old becomes a free agent in the summer.

Brighton are looking at Nigerian winger Philip Otele at Romanian club Cluj, reports the Evening Standard.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Erling Haaland: Barcelona are keen on the Manchester City striker in 2025 according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, which says the 23-year-old’s agent met with the La Liga club last month.

Joao Gomes: The Wolves midfielder, 23, has been identified by Manchester United as a replacement for fellow Brazilian Casemiro, 32, reports Spanish outlet Sport.

Wolves boss Gary O’Neil described the behaviour of Coventry counterpart Mark Robins “disgusting” after he celebrated his side’s remarkable FA Cup quarter-final win in the face of a 13-year-old ball boy.

The Championship outfit stunned their Premier League opponents with two goals in added time to seal a 3-2 victory and book a first semi-final in this competition since they won it in 1987.

It was after Haji Wright’s winner at the death that Robins showed a rare sight of emotion by celebrating in front of a ball boy, who had irked him moments before.

Robins offered an unprompted apology in his press conference after the game, but O’Neil said the teenager was left distressed.

“I was disappointed, I waited for Mark downstairs and spoke to him because I was really respectful at the end, having lost a massive game, waited for them to finish their celebrations, shook everyone’s hands, congratulated them on a real good performance, reaching Wembley and what a fantastic achievement it was,” O’Neil said.

“And he apologised, but to celebrate in a young boy’s face like that I thought was disgusting, the boy is really upset. It shouldn’t happen, but I don’t have too much to say about it because we have lost and it’s going to seem bitter.

“But I thought it was really important to speak to Mark about it because they are just kids doing a job.”

Robins was regretful afterwards and admitted to letting his emotions get the better of him.

He said: “I have an apology to make, before the winner went in, the ball boy has the ball, a young kid, so I am apologising to him, he has the ball in his hand, drops it and walks away smiling.

“It really annoyed me, but he’s a kid, at the end of the day I have reacted, we scored the goal and I went and celebrated in front of him.

“I apologise to him. I do not show emotion very often and before that happened I apologise to him, I don’t show emotion very often but that is what the FA Cup does to you. I apologise to him unreservedly to him.”

It is little surprise Robins was emotional given the manner of an unbelievable climax at Molineux.

It looked like they would be leaving with broken hearts after two goals in the final 10 minutes from Rayan Ait-Nouri and Hugo Bueno overturned Ellis Simms’ opener and seemed to set a Wembley date for Wolves.

But the Sky Blues were not done and in nine minutes of time added on they turned the last-eight tie around again, with Simms grabbing a second and then Wright earning himself folklore by grabbing the winner.

They are into just a second semi-final in this competition, with the last one coming en route to lifting the cup 37 years ago.

With some of the teams still left in this year’s edition, Robins is not overly optimistic of a repeat of that famous win over Tottenham.

Asked if he thought they could win the competition, Robins said: “Did you say win the competition? You do realise who is left in?

“Well, we have got a small chance. We are going to Wembley and we are going to enjoy that game, I don’t want to go there and just make the numbers up. We know, are not stupid, the levels go up all of the time.”

Coventry stunned Premier League Wolves with two goals in injury time to seal an amazing 3-2 win and book a first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 1987.

The Sky Blues went on to win the competition that year in one of the most famous finals ever and they kept their hopes of another unlikely triumph this season alive after a remarkable climax at Molineux.

It looked like they would be leaving with broken hearts after two goals in the final 10 minutes from Rayan Ait-Nouri and Hugo Bueno overturned Ellis Simms’ opener and seemed to set a Wembley date for Wolves.

But the Championship side were not done and in nine minutes of time added on they turned the quarter-final tie around again, with Simms grabbing a second and then Haji Wright earning himself folklore by grabbing the winner.

It was a dramatic ending to a breathless derby, which the Championship side probably deserved to win.

Coventry survived a couple of early scares as Mario Lemina and Nelson Semedo missed chances, but having absorbed the pressure, the visitors missed a golden chance of their own to go ahead and Simms will not want reminding of it.

After Jose Sa had palmed Kasey Palmer’s shot into the path of Jake Bidwell, the wing-back set up a simple tap-in from close range after rolling the ball across goal, but Simms got his feet in a mess and somehow put his shot straight at Sa.

The momentum had suddenly switched and two more glorious chance came for Coventry before half-time as Simms played in Milan van Ewijk, who looked prime to score until Sa made a fine block and the Wolves keeper was grateful to an unmarked Palmer for cushioning the ball straight at him.

The Sky Blues finally made the breakthrough eight minutes after the restart as Simms made amends for his earlier howler.

Liam Kitching headed a free-kick back across goal to the far post where Simms appeared to bundle the ball in with his arm.

But it survived a lengthy four-minute VAR check to give the travelling supporters a second chance to celebrate.

They should have been celebrating another goal soon after as their side bombarded Wolves’ goal.

Sa had to make a double save, first keeping out Wright’s effort with his feet and then parrying away Josh Eccles’ effort from the rebound.

After Sa then rolled the ball to Matt Doherty, the Republic of Ireland wing-back was dispossessed in a dangerous area and Palmer put a shot agonisingly wide.

They could have done with one of those chances going in as the inevitable Wolves onslaught came in the final 20 minutes.

Joao Gomes saw a vicious effort tipped onto the post by Bradley Collins and then Ait-Nouri hit the other post with a header soon after.

But Wolves remained ragged at the other end and only a one-man show from Sa stopped Coventry from killing the tie.

The Portugal keeper pulled off three big saves to keep the score at 1-0, palming away efforts from Simms and Callum O’Hare and then denying Kitching at close range.

And he was rewarded as Wolves levelled in the 83rd minute when Joel Latibeaudiere could not clear a cross and Ait-Nouri slammed home the loose ball.

The writing appeared on the wall for Coventry as Ait-Nouri surged forward, playing in Bueno, who made no mistake.

But in the sixth minute of time added on Simms headed home at the far post after Bobby Thomas had flicked on Bidwell’s cross.

There was time for more drama as in the 10th minute Simms teed up Wright to steer Coventry to a famous victory.

Gary O’Neil is refusing to getting carried away by dreams of FA Cup glory at Wembley, insisting Wolves cannot afford to look any further than their quarter-final date with Coventry.

O’Neil’s side have a big opportunity to book a place in the last four when they take on the lowest-ranked team left in the tournament on Saturday, but nothing is being taken for granted at Molineux.

“None of my attention is on winning it, it’s on beating Coventry tomorrow,” said O’Neil.

“It’s tough (to win a cup), you need a lot to go your way. This will be a huge test and we need to get through it.

“I’m desperate to give the fans more enjoyable moments. We will need the fans to help, especially when you have players missing.”

O’Neil was deliberately coy about exactly which individuals would not be available, eager not to offer the Sky Blues a helping hand in their planning.

“We’ve decided not to do injury updates today, with a big game tomorrow,” he said.

“I’m sure our fans will understand giving team news away before an FA Cup quarter-final will hand unnecessary advantages to the opposition. It’s important we keep stuff in house, that’s why we haven’t named the team yet.”

Pedro Neto and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde are two obvious concerns having picked up knocks in the 2-1 Premier League victory over Fulham last time out, though there is more encouraging news on Matheus Cunha.

He has been out for more than a month with hamstring trouble but is ahead of schedule with his comeback.

“He’s in a great mood and the lads are really pleased to have him back in training,” said O’Neil.

“It’s an unbelievable effort for him to get back into full training as quickly as he has.

“It’s now on us to manage him the best way we can and get the best out of him. We were expecting to be without him a lot longer than we have been.

“We’re delighted to have him back in training and it’s given the group a real lift.”

Wolves last appeared at this stage in 2018-19, upsetting Manchester United 2-1. Republic of Ireland full-back Matt Doherty is the lone survivor from the XI that defeated the Red Devils and is ready for a different challenge this time.

“I managed to get into a semi-final a few years ago with Wolves, and we should have won, so I really want to get back there this year,” he said.

“Our run hasn’t been filled with ‘huge’ games against United and all the other teams, but that’s the whole point of the cup competitions, you play a variety of teams from different leagues.

“Obviously, we’ll be favourites against Coventry, and we are at home. We’re not going to take anybody lightly, but we’re pretty confident.”

Gary O’Neil rated Wolves’ 2-1 victory over Fulham as his favourite of the season given the adversity his side overcame.

With several key players already out, Wolves were forced into two first-half changes because of injuries to Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and key man Pedro Neto.

But second-half goals from full-backs Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo put Wolves in control before Alex Iwobi pulled one back with virtually the last kick of the game.

“Unbelievable win,” said a delighted O’Neil, whose side are up to eighth in the Premier League table.

“My favourite I think in terms of what we’ve had to deal with, the position we were in before the game, the position we found ourselves in 20-odd minutes into the game.

“To find a way to beat a Fulham team that are in a really good moment – when I got their team-sheet I realised how strong they are depth wise, unbelievable bench they had available to them.

“Obviously we’re in a different moment. We can be as strong as that but at this moment we’re not. Then mentally for the players to lose the only attacking players we have left and still be able to find a way to respond I thought was an unbelievable win.

“I’m sure they are, but the supporters should be unbelievably proud of the team that they just saw. If I’d have grown up being a Wolves fan and you asked me what I wanted my team to look like, it would have been that.”

The considerable negative was the two injuries, with Bellegarde sustaining a left knee problem in the opening minutes of the game and Neto then pulling up just before half-time holding his left hamstring.

The Portuguese winger, who missed two months of the season with a right hamstring injury, went off at half-time against Newcastle last week because of tightness in his hamstring, leaving O’Neil to rue his team selection.

“He had a really good week,” said the Wolves boss. “He had a scan that was completely clear, no muscle damage at all, he felt really good yesterday in training, felt good again today.

“That lands on me whether the decision to play him today was right. I’m just devastated for Pedro and how hard he’s worked to get back. We’re hopeful, medical don’t think it’s anything like his first one, but it’ll be a scan and we’ll go from there.

“If I had the team-sheet back again now, of course I’m not putting Pedro Neto’s name on it.”

It was a frustrating afternoon for Fulham boss Marco Silva, who saw Harry Wilson miss a one-on-one and Tosin Adarabioyo hit the bar in the first half.

“We had a chance to come to half-time leading the score clearly,” said Silva. “We didn’t start really well but after the first chance we created, from that moment we built the momentum and we started to be on the front foot.

“But the reality is the game is 95 minutes and the way we started the second half, we played too slow, losing some balls in dangerous areas that we cannot lose. And from that moment we are punished.”

Wolves’ bid for European football was boosted by a 2-1 victory over Fulham, but it came at the expense of more injury problems.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde limped off with just over 10 minutes gone while Pedro Neto, who had been passed fit after feeling his hamstring last weekend, pulled up just before half-time clutching the back of his left thigh.

But the hosts made Fulham pay for missed opportunities, with Rayan Ait-Nouri scoring his first goal since December 2022 in the 52nd minute and Nelson Semedo adding a deflected second before Alex Iwobi grabbed a very late consolation.

The result lifts Gary O’Neil’s side up to eighth in the Premier League table in the week when it was revealed Wolves will open contract talks with their manager this summer.

Wolves’ strong form was halted by a 3-0 loss to Newcastle last time out while Fulham, looking to win at Molineux for the first time since 1985, were chasing a third Premier League victory in a row.

O’Neil was boosted by the availability of goalkeeper Jose Sa, who went off at half-time last weekend, but Craig Dawson was injured so Santiago Bueno came into the side along with Joao Gomes and 19-year-old striker Nathan Fraser, given a first start for the club.

Fulham’s good run meant the returning Joao Palhinha had to settle for a place on the bench.

With Wolves fans screaming for a foul on Fraser, Fulham went down the other end in the sixth minute and created the first chance of the game – Andreas Pereira’s shot from wide on the left pushed away by Sa.

A tight game was cut open in the 25th minute by an excellent through ball from Iwobi for Harry Wilson but, with only the keeper to beat, he opted to shoot with the outside of his left foot and sent his effort wide.

At the other end, a one-two between Ait-Nouri and Mario Lemina nearly put the full-back through before a heavy touch allowed Bernd Leno to block.

Fulham had their second golden opportunity in the 35th minute when a spell of pressure ended with Harrison Reed sending a ball across the goal for Tosin Adarabioyo, who saw his shot bounce off the top of the bar.

It was Fulham threatening again at the start of the second half, Wilson sending a curling shot just past the post.

But the first goal went the way of the home team, as substitute Toti seized on a weak header by Calvin Bassey from a Wolves free-kick and teed up Ait-Nouri, who had pushed further forward following Neto’s departure, for a confident finish high into the net.

Fulham boss Marco Silva sent on Willian and Tom Cairney for a disappointed-looking Reed and Pereira but their pursuit of an equaliser was leaving gaps at the back and Wolves grabbed their second in the 67th minute.

VAR took a look but Fraser, who had worked tirelessly throughout, was just onside when he ran onto Gomes’ pass. His attempted cross was blocked but Gomes back-heeled the ball to Semedo, whose shot beat Leno via a big deflection off Cairney.

Fulham came agonisingly close to pulling one back with 10 minutes to go, Sa pulling off an acrobatic save to deny substitute Palhinha and Max Kilman heading Rodrigo Muniz’s follow-up off the line, before Wolves old boy Adama Traore’s strong run and shot drew another stop from Sa.

Referee Tony Harrington then lost patience with visiting manager Silva and showed him a yellow card, adding to a frustrating afternoon that was barely improved by Iwobi’s stabbed effort with almost the last kick of the game.

Wolves will discuss a new contract with Gary O’Neil in the summer.

O’Neil has done an impressive job at Molineux after taking over on the eve of the campaign when Julen Lopetugui walked out of the club due to the financial constraints he would have to work with.

A relegation battle looked on the cards, but instead, O’Neil has put them in the hunt for a top-six finish in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup quarter-finals.

 

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And sporting director Matt Hobbs says that has earned him the right to discuss a new contract.

“That’s naturally where this is going, he’s done well enough to have that conversation,” Hobbs said.

“Part of the conversation will be the plan for the club and that’s where you have to have the honest conversations about what it looks like going forward.

“That is an inevitable situation we find ourselves in this summer, for sure.

“But let’s not talk about it at the moment, let’s keep an eye on what we’re trying to do. We want to finish the season well and have the FA Cup to look forward to.

“We have more to play for with the league and the squad drive that a lot.”

Wolves have reported heavy losses but have not broken the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

Despite the troubling financial situation, Hobbs says there will not be a firesale in the summer, but concedes one high-profile departure is likely.

“We’re not in a position where we have to sell,” he added.

“Realistically, for me, we don’t want to sell more than two starters.

“But if big clubs come, I’ve never been the person to stand in someone’s way as long as we can reinvest in the right way to move forward.

“We showed with other players leaving last year that we’re able to move forward with three or four starters going.

“We’re always looking to improve and we have the ability to turn down big offers, but every player has their number as well.

“I’m not sure the same market is there now. I don’t see three or four £100million players going.

“For me, there’s no need and there’s no players itching to get away. They’ve bought into Gary and everyone’s on the same page.

“Essentially every summer I probably have to sell someone at a high value. The fewer I can sell to raise money, the stronger we will be as a club.

“Let’s say I want to raise £60m to invest in the next summer, if I can sell one to do that, that’s much better than selling two or three.”

Eddie Howe is hoping there is more to come from Newcastle after seeing them secure a first home win of 2024 and the 100th of his Premier League career.

The Magpies had not tasted victory at St James’ Park since they beat Fulham 3-0 on December 16, but they ended that run by beating injury-hit Wolves by the same scoreline to suggest they could finally be emerging from a difficult run.

Coming four days after they edged past Sky Best Championship Blackburn into the FA Cup quarter-finals, the win left head coach Howe in positive mood.

 

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He said: “Sometimes you just have to find a way to get over the finishing line and you know then that there are better performances ahead. I think we were in that moment today.

 

“I don’t think today was ever going to be a classic Newcastle performance, but I think it’s a building bridge closer to where we want to be.

“I thought Blackburn was very similar. We got through, that was the main thing. Today was slightly better again and I’d like to think now with the strength of the group returned that we will hopefully see continued improvement in performances.”

Newcastle were happy to sit back and try to hit the visitors on the break during the first half, and the ploy paid handsome dividends when Alexander Isak headed home after Bruno Guimaraes’ shot had been half blocked and then Anthony Gordon slotted into an empty net after goalkeeper Jose Sa had collided with team-mate Max Kilman.

Asked if the ploy had worked as he had hoped, Howe, who lost Kieran Trippier to a calf problem, added: “It was a slight tweak from our normal way of playing. We analyse our opposition, like we do always.

“There are always tweaks and little things we try to do to help us in our performance, and that was one today, to try to maybe play a slightly more transitional game.”

Wolves, who were without injured duo Hwang Hee-chan – he is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks by a hamstring injury – and Matheus Cunha and lost both Sa and Pedro Neto at half-time, gave as good as they got for long periods, but found Magpies keeper Martin Dubravka in resilient form again.

Their day was done when substitute Tino Livramento capped a good afternoon for the hosts in stoppage time with a fine solo run and finish to wrap up the win.

Head coach Gary O’Neill, however, was not convinced about the merits of Howe’s game plan.

He said: “There’s no way that Newcastle let us have a lot of the ball. We had a lot of the ball because we were really good with the ball.

“I know Eddie Howe, I know Newcastle. They press everybody, especially at home. The reason we had the ball was our quality and how good we were with it.”

O’Neil added: “I thought structurally we were the better side, had real control of the game, control of the ball, so I’m really proud of the group for what they gave today.”

Eddie Howe managed to get a tune out of his team with rock star Mark Knopfler watching as clinical Newcastle ended Wolves’ three-game winning run.

Knopfler was at St James’ Park to unveil a charity recording of the theme from Local Hero, the song to which the Magpies run out, and witnessed a 3-0 home victory – a first in the Premier League since December 16 – courtesy of Alexander Isak’s 15th goal of the season, Anthony Gordon’s 10th and substitute Tino Livramento’s first for the club.

Head coach Howe, who had spoken of his own musical ability – or more accurately, lack of it – in the run-up to the game, came up with the perfect game-plan, sucking Wolves in by allowing them possession and then hitting them on the break in devastating fashion.

The visitors rallied late in the game, but were unable to find a way past keeper Martin Dubravka in front of a crowd of 52,206 at a wintry St James’.

Pedro Neto made an early impression as the visitors attempted to capitalise on the Magpies’ recent defensive issues, and it took a well-time challenge by Fabian Schar to halt his enterprising third-minute run into the penalty area.

As torrential rain fell from slate grey skies over Tyneside, Newcastle gradually eased into their stride, and it was they who took the lead with 14 minutes gone after Schar had picked off Rayan Ait-Nouri’s pass into the box and fed Gordon.

The frontman sprinted away down the left before finding Bruno Guimaraes, whose shot deflected off defender Craig Dawson and looped up for Isak to head home at the far post.

Dan Burn might have made it 2-0 within five minutes after linking with Gordon, but he dragged his attempt harmlessly across the face of goal.

Toti headed over after Dawson had helped Pablo Sarabia’s corner back into the danger area and with Neto menacing, the visitors were very much in the game despite repeatedly finding themselves under the cosh.

However, they fell further behind 12 minutes before the break when Schar played the ball into the feet of Joe Willock, who fed Jacob Murphy to send in a low cross which keeper Jose Sa could only palm away from Isak as he collided with team-mate Max Kilman, and Gordon supplied the finishing touch.

Wolves continued to enjoy a healthy share of the possession, but were unable to do enough with it to force their way back into the game before the break.

O’Neil replaced Sa and Neto with Daniel Bentley and Nathan Fraser before the restart and Howe saw Kieran Trippier limp off within seven minutes as Livramento stepped into the breach.

It took a superb goal-line clearance by Toti to keep out Willock’s 56th-minute diving header from Burn’s cross, but Martin Dubravka was relieved to see Jeanricner Bellegarde’s attempt loop over his bar.

Dubravka found himself at the centre of the action as he dived full-length to keep out Fraser’s skidding drive and then blocked Sarabia’s shot at the far post before plucking Bellegarde’s header out of the air.

Bentley saved at substitute Miguel Almiron’s feet after Guimaraes had turned superbly and clipped the ball into his path, but it was Livramento who sealed the win in stoppage time with a fine solo run and stabbed finish from Schar’s cultured pass.

Gary O’Neil revealed Wolves’ FA Cup dream after they reached the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Brighton.

Mario Lemina’s goal after just 77 seconds booked a home tie with Coventry next month, just the second time Wolves have reached the last eight since 2003.

Brighton, though, bossed the game and Facundo Buonanotte missed a fine chance before goalkeeper Jason Steele sliced a good opening wide in stoppage time.

O’Neil has underlined his desire for success in the competition and admitted he told his players the goal was to lift the trophy ahead of their third-round tie at Brentford in January.

“When we set off to travel to Brentford I remember delivering the pre-match meeting and spoke about our aim, at that moment, was to win the FA Cup,” he said.

“I know how farfetched that sounds but every win you get a step closer. We have had to give a lot to get here.

“Coventry will be a massive test, they are a good side, play good football and we will be expected to roll them over by everyone outside and that can create problems.

“Whoever we played in the quarter-final we would see it as a great chance. We’ve beat Chelsea twice and Tottenham and Man City here. We love playing here, I’m sure they (fans) will be dreaming of a semi final and I’ll be analysing Coventry.”

Wolves snatched a second-minute winner when Lemina fired in at the second attempt after Steele flapped at Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s cross.

But the hosts never built on their lead and Brighton pushed them – without forcing Jose Sa into a meaningful save.

Wayward efforts from Simon Adingra and Jakub Moder never troubled Sa but Buonanotte should have levelled instead of heading wide just before the break.

Lewis Dunk also nodded wide before Wolves lost Hwang Hee-Chan to a hamstring injury.

O’Neil added: “Someone has to play for us and we needed to get through to the next round. I’m hopeful it’s not too serious. I’d be amazed if he plays at the weekend (at Newcastle).”

Brighton pressed for a leveller which never came but they should have taken the tie to extra time in the final minute of stoppage time.

Steele raced up for a corner and when the ball was nodded down he was left unmarked six yards out but fired wide.

Boss Roberto De Zerbi said: “We played well, we made too many mistakes – especially in the first half – to score. We created a lot of chances and we played well enough to score.

“I’m happy with the performance, the style we played, the attitude, the personality. It was very tough playing without nine injured players.

“The future of Brighton was on the pitch, a lot of young players. Maybe they are not all ready for this level but we are working well and doing great things as we are keeping the same level of last season – with a lot of problems.

“The game against Fulham is on Saturday and we have to be ready to fight.”

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