Newcastle substitute Barnes' spectacular goal sinks Wolves | Premier League

If there's a civil war brewing, it seems to suit Newcastle just fine. Tensions between coach Eddie Howe and sporting director Paul MitchellThey have won three and drawn one of their first four games of the season, leaving them tied with Arsenal for second place – which, given the pressure Manchester City are facing, may end up actually meaning first place.

It was not a perfect display from Newcastle, by any means. Many of the limitations of their squad were evident, but Eddie Howe made a decisive decision with a triple substitution at the break and was rewarded when one of the players he brought on, Harvey Barnes, scored a brilliant winner, cutting in from the left and curling a 25-yard shot in off the far post.

For Wolves, the feeling of anxiety is growing. They have won just one of their last 14 games. Premier League Both teams have picked up six points from their last 42 games, and while the schedule hasn't been particularly kind to the start of this season, one point from four games and, more to the point, the way they've played is enough to suggest this could be a tough season. There were enough promising signs on the counterattack to suggest they should survive, but many teams have found that routines, once entered into, cannot be easily abandoned.

It was a grey, damp afternoon that matched the general mood; the brutalist School of Art loomed through the darkness above the Sir Jack Hayward Stand like a dire warning of utopias past, dominating the Wolverhampton skyline in a way that Jørgen Strand Larsen has yet to achieve.

However, Larsen is much more than his extreme height and played a key role in Wolves’ opening goal, which was a double surprise in that it was the home side who took the lead, and in the quality of the play. It started with a Sean Longstaff pass which was intercepted and, as Wolves broke away, Larsen held off Dan Burn before crossing low. João Gomes skipped over it, surprising the retreating Newcastle defence, leaving Mario Lemina with a simple finish.

Newcastle looked livelier against a clearly shattered Wolves back four. They may not have conceded six goals as they did against Chelsea in their last home game, but the problems have not been fixed – that is 11 goals conceded in four games now. A simple pass from Alexander Isak was enough to free Jacob Murphy early on, but Sam Johnstone, on his home debut, cleared and then Anthony Gordon staggered down the left flank past the inexplicably obedient Nelson Semedo and Yerson Mosquera and fired in off the far post.

Gordon had impressed for England during the international break and had another dangerous game, but the concern before the break was that he was responsible for the vast majority of Newcastle's attacking spark. Isak has yet to be at his best this season, while the right flank was an area Newcastle tried, unsuccessfully, to strengthen in the summer. Barnes has looked dangerous when coming off the bench but, like Gordon, prefers to play on the left.

Eddie Howe's solution, perhaps conditioned in part by the blow to the face that Isak received just before the break, was to make a triple change at the break: Barnes replaced Isak and Gordon moved into the centre. Joelinton, cautioned for a foul towards the end of the first half, and Longstaff were also withdrawn, with Sandro Tonali and Joe Willock coming on.

The pattern remained similar to that of the first half, though: Newcastle with the ball and Wolves with the threat. Eight minutes after the break, Larsen hit the post after receiving a well-measured pass from Lemina.

Matheus Cunha also hit the post after getting in behind Lewis Hall, which, as is often the case in football, instantly raised suspicions that Wolves would pay for not taking their chances.

Indeed, with a quarter of an hour remaining, Fabian Schär's speculative shot grazed Craig Dawson and flew over Johnstone's leap to equalise. But while it was a stroke of luck, the winning goal five minutes later was exceptional. So was Nick Pope's right-footed stop in added time to deny Cunha's acrobatic volley.

Now, Howe's job is to determine whether Gordon and Barnes can play alongside Isak. But for now, after the disappointing nature of last season, the relative lack of action in the transfer market and the rumour mill, 10 points from four games represents an extremely positive start.