Premier League 2018-19: 5 Talking Points For Newcastle United from their 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers

Almiron was impressive on his debut for Newcastle
Almiron was impressive on his debut for Newcastle

#3 Top notch performance from Jamaal Lascelles

Jamaal Lascelles in action against Wolves
Jamaal Lascelles in action against Wolves

By far the most impressive central defender out of the back three for Newcastle United was their captain Jamaal Lascelles. Indeed, barring a few performances this season, he has been the most consistent player in the heart of the Magpies' defence.

Time and again, he rescued Newcastle when they were caught on the counter-attack by Wolves. While his partners-in-crime, Fabian Schär and Florian Lejeune were also decent, it was the captain who excelled.

His most notable moment was when he brilliantly avoided getting turned inside out by Mexican forward Raúl Jiménez and then took the ball from his feet cleanly and played it out.

His presence defensively and his solidity at the back also allowed his fellow center-backs to step forward into midfield - especially towards the end of the first half and during the start of the second when Newcastle enjoyed a sustained spell of possession.

It was indeed, one such occasion that brought the opening goal of the game as Schär stepped forward to supply the pass that led to Isaac Hayden opening the scoring - albeit handily helped by Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio's mistake.

He also covered well for Lejeune who was by far the most average of the three today and was crucial in Wolverhampton not getting a reward for their early dominance when a misplaced pass by Lejeune nearly led to the Wolves sniffing at goal.

Newcastle will need Lascelles at his best through the final set of games heading towards the end of the season if they are to stay up and live to fight another season.

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