A goal from Aleksandar Mitrovic has earned Newcastle United a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Serbian striker could have been dismissed for two yellow cards inside the first half-hour but after being allowed to remain on the pitch, he netted from close range with a minute remaining of the first half.
Wolves offered very little in the final third and while Newcastle return to the top of the Championship table, the home side remain just six points clear of the relegation zone.
Read below to see how the action unfolded at Molineux.
Hello, and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the match in the Championship between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United.
What's this, I hear you say? Championship action on a Saturday evening? Don't worry, your eyes aren't deceiving you. While we are also providing coverage of the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, we are also bringing you the second-tier encounter between a Newcastle side looking to strengthen their automatic promotion bid and a Wolves outfit rejuvenated since the arrival of Paul Lambert.
I will bring you the Championship results when the full-time whistles start going up and down the country but it appears that Brighton & Hove Albion are all but assured of returning to the top of the table as they lead Burton Albion 3-1. It means that Newcastle need to follow suit to ensure that they hold first place at the end of the day.
Anyway, without further ado, let's crack on with the team news.
WOLVES XI: Ikeme, Coady, Stearman, Batth, Doherty, Price, Edwards, Costa, Enobakhare, Weimann, Dicko
WOLVES SUBSTITUTES: Burgoyne, Hause, Saville, Evans, Ronan, Marshall, Bodvarsson
NEWCASTLE UNITED XI: Darlow, Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett, Colback, Shelvey, Diame, Ritchie, Gouffran, Mitrovic
NEWCASTLE UNITED SUBSTITUTES: Elliot, Hanley, Gamez, Hayden, Atsu, Perez, Murphy
First of all, let's take a look at the Wolves team as Paul Lambert decides to hand a recall to captain Danny Batth. Jack Price and Bright Enobakhare are also given a chance from the start as Lambert makes alterations to the side which lost out at Burton. Nouha Dicko has kept his place over Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, despite failing to score in his last 18 appearances for the club.
As for Newcastle, Rafael Benitez decides to hand starting roles to both Jamaal Lascelles and Jack Colback, with Grant Hanley and Isaac Hayden dropping out of the team. With Dwight Gayle not deemed to be ready to a return to the squad, Aleksandar Mitrovic keeps his place in attack. There's also a spot for Jonjo Shelvey, who served a five-match ban for language used towards Romain Saiss in the reverse fixture at St James' Park.
Here are this afternoon's full-time scores from the Championship. As expected, Brighton have returned to the top of the table, but Reading and Leeds have both suffered blows in their attempts to chase down Newcastle and Chris Hughton's side.
Aston Villa 0-1 Ipswich Town, Brighton 4-1 Burton Albion, Derby County 3-3 Bristol City, Fulham 3-2 Wigan Athletic, Leeds United 0-2 Cardiff City, Norwich City 5-1 Nottingham Forest, Preston 4-2 Brentford, QPR 1-2 Huddersfield Town, Reading 0-0 Barnsley, Rotherham United 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
Here's the standings for you to take a look at before kickoff. From a Wolves perspective, they will be delighted with today's results as Rotherham United, Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers have all failed to win. It means they remain six points clear of the drop zone and a win here would only give them more breathing space over the coming weeks.
HEAD TO HEAD! Today's match represents the 94th time in which these two teams have faced each other in a competitive fixture, with Wolves winning 39 times in comparison to 31 victories for Newcastle. There have only been nine contests during this Millennium, with Wolves winning twice and Newcastle claiming three triumphs.
Wolves are unofficially the standard-bearers when it comes to programme covers but they have gone one better in redesigning their tunnel. It's a thing of beauty, isn't it?
It has been suggested recently that Benitez's job had been in doubt but with seven wins from 10 league games, surely those reports were wrong? In all fairness, any question marks over his job were said to stem from the club's transfer policy but even with the uncertainty behind the scenes, he remains a hugely influential figure at St James' Park. If the Magpies continue with their current form, they will regain their place in the top flight so I'm sure everything will get sorted out sooner rather than later.
Some Wolves fans will have their eyes on this news...
...but the fact of the matter is that they cannot afford to become distracted from this match. They will fancy their chances of causing another shock in the FA Cup but a decent run will mean little if they don't move themselves away from the bottom three. However, it's this kind of occasion that Wolves have relished in the past and I expect them to raise their game after the setback to local rivals Burton last weekend.
PREDICTION! Games such as these are usually played at a frenetic pace but we think both teams will show their class in a what could prove to be a high-quality affair. Despite their indifferent form, we are going to go for Wolves to claim a share of the spoils, potentially late on in a 1-1 draw. That result may suit Newcastle to some degree, too.
Here comes the two teams to a rapturous reception from both sets of supporters. Newcastle sold out their allocation, which is an impressive effort for a 400-mile round trip on a Saturday night.
After a much-deserved minutes' applause for Rachael Heyhoe Flint, we are underway.
Wolves win an early free kick in a threatening position and the set piece swung in by Costa is a decent one, but Newcastle defend it well.
CHANCE! After an injury to Stearman, Wolves are left light at the back and Colback should score from inside the penalty area but Ikeme comes out well to smother the ball. How important could that intervention prove to be?
Mitrovic is appealing for a penalty after a coming together with Stearman but the Wolves defender wasn't even looking at him. The Serbian forward was looking for it. Newcastle have started well, however.
Enobakhare surges forward from midfield and is brought down by Shelvey. That went down like a lead balloon with the Molineux crowd with Shelvey public enemy number one. Costa doesn't do much with the resulting set piece, with the ball going high over the bar.
Wolves are looking to get both Dicko and Enobakhare into the game but so far, Newcastle are doing a good job of preventing them having much joy in the final third.
BOOKING! Mitrovic is the first man into the book for jumping into the defender. On its own, it's harsh, but it's not the first time in which he has done it. Benitez has told him to stop doing it, that's how cynical it has been.
There's been a big lull in the action over the last 10 minutes. Newcastle started well before Wolves started to match them, but there have been a lot of stray passes and the defenders getting the better of the strikers. Still, it's very early days.
CHANCE! Much better from Wolves as Costa plays in Weimann down the left before crossing for Dicko, who lost his man at the back post. However, he doesn't make the most of his volley and drills it into the ground and wide.
This hasn't been a bad game, but the crowd are amusing themselves with failing to get the ball back to a Newcastle player in a timely manner, which tells you that they aren't too enthralled with the action. The Wolves fans need to remember that they are playing the second best team in the division, and they are just about the better team.
CHANCE! Wolves should be ahead. A free kick is swung into the box and Batth's flick on - which is meant for goal - finds Stearman but he can't convert from inside the six-yard box. He only had to get it on target and he would have scored.
Big moment here. Mitrovic should be sent off after scraping his studs down the knee of Ikeme, but the referee has decided not to give him a second yellow. It's such a bad decision from the referee and Wolves will feel harshly done by. Expect Benitez to substitute him soon before he gets sent off.
CHANCE!/strong> Since that reprieve, Newcastle have started to come back at Wolves and Diame sees a header cleared off the line before Mitrovic has a header saved at the back post.
I was correct in my assumption that this would not be played at a fast pace. Both teams are taking a more measured approach and at times, the quality is there. Most of the time, though, it's as if they have too many options and are picking the wrong one.
Enobakhare has been on the periphery of this game, aside from one run early in the match, and he's fortunate to avoid a yellow for a late challenge on the flank. If that was Mitrovic...
You could hear a pin drop in Molineux - it's not often that you can say that! The game has really struggled for rhythm and tempo though so you can't blame the fans for trying to get to the front of the queue at the food kiosks.
GOAL! Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Newcastle United (Mitrovic)
It just had to be, didn't it? Mitrovic shouldn't be on the pitch but he has handed Newcastle the lead. After Diame's shot was blocked, Wolves failed to deal with the ricochet and after a neat flick from Lascelles, the forward couldn't miss from close range. That's his first in 11 games.
There will be three minutes of added-on time.
HALF TIME: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Newcastle United
The half-time whistle goes at Molineux and Newcastle go into the break thanks to that close-range strike from Mitrovic. It's harsh on Wolves who have not only been the better team, but have fallen behind to a goal from a player who shouldn't be on the pitch. They have work to do in the second half.
The team are beginning to make their way back out and both managers have decided to make a change. Lee Evans is on for the injured Jack Price, while Christian Atsu is on for Mitrovic. Benitez knows how lucky he got in the first half.
Wolves get us back underway.
Shelvey is greeted with a chorus of boos when he makes his way out to take a corner, and his delivery creates cheers when it is easily cleared. That's as good as it has got in these opening stages of the second half.
CHANCE! Half the ground think this is in after the ball goes into the side-netting. Costa's cross is met by Edwards but he can't squeeze the ball in at the near post.
In the past, Wolves have overpowered teams at Molineux when they have raised the tempo in the second half but there's no sign of that at the moment. They've struggled to get their attacking players into the game, especially Weimann and Enobakhare. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ben Marshall sooner rather than later.
In all fairness to Wolves, they are trying to get something going but it's just proving to be one big struggle. The crowd are getting agitated, too. Newcastle look comfortable, without offering much of a threat on goal.
SUBSTITUTION! It's not often that Lambert has Dicko and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson on the pitch at the same time, but he will do here. The Icelandic international is on for Enobakhare.
We haven't seen much of Atsu since his introduction but it takes a last-ditch tackle from Batth to stop the pacey attacker from moving through on goal. He had to get that right.
BOOKING! Doherty is looking for a free kick on the edge of the area and after going down rather easily, he is booked for simulation. Right decision.
BOOKING! Ritchie soon follows for a lunge on Coady. He made contact with the right-back's foot and it was a definite booking.
With 20 minutes left in this game, chances are very few and far between. There's little action in either box and Wolves need to change something because playing two up front is not working. They still have one change left.
Costa has had one of his most ineffective games in a Wolves shirt but he earns his side a free kick on the edge of the area after being pulled back by Dummett. A yellow card should follow, but it doesn't.
SHOT! Costa takes the free kick and plays it to the edge of the box to Evans, but his first-time strike goes over. What a waste.
SUBSTITUTION! Lambert makes his final change and it's Ben Marshall for Weimann.
We've not seen much of Bodvarsson since his introduction but he gets the chance to stretch his legs down the left. He cuts inside onto his right but he makes the wrong choice with his cross and Newcastle get the ball out for a corner, which comes to nothing.
SUBSTITUTION! That's the end of Ritchie's night as he is replaced by Daryl Murphy.
SHOT! Diame tries to break forward and he has men over in support. However, he tries to curl the ball towards the far corner and gets nothing behind his shot.
SHOT! Costa twists and turns just inside the penalty area but his curling effort is too close to Darlow, who makes his first save.
Wolves force a couple of late corners but they can't force Darlow into any work. Before that, Lascelles appeared to handle the ball inside the area but the referee waved Wolves' appeals away.
There will be four minutes of added-on time.
I think that's it for Wolves. The crosses keep coming in but Darlow and the two Newcastle centre-backs are winning everything.
FULL TIME: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Newcastle United
The full-time whistle goes at Molineux and Newcastle have comfortably held on to register a 1-0 win away at Wolves. The home side have been in decent form of late but they could not find a way past a strong Newcastle defence. The Magpies have won thanks to a controversial goal from Mitrovic but they were deserving of the victory.
That will be all from Sports Mole for this match. Thank you for joining us this evening and we hope to see you again soon. Goodbye for now.
