Newcastle 3 Wolves 0: Isak can’t stop scoring as he bags double to help Toon ease back into top four
ALEXANDER ISAK made it EIGHT in a row as he fired Toon to Cloud Nine.
The Swedish superstar, 25, achieved a feat that even the legendary Alan Shearer failed to.
The striker became only the fourth player in the Premier League era to score in eight consecutive top-flight matches, hitting a deadly double against Wolves.
And that helped Newcastle to secure a ninth straight win in all competitions to lift them above Chelsea into fourth.
That stunning winning run equalled the amount that Kevin Keegan and Rafa Benitez knocked up with Eddie Howe now chasing a club-record number ten against Bournemouth on Saturday.
It was in-form Jacob Murphy, who provided yet another assist for Isak, got the action started when he tested Jose Sa first time.
Bruno Guimaraes fed the winger out wide on the right, and he cut in on to his left foot and pulled the trigger from the edge of the area only for the ‘keeper to palm it away.
However, any thoughts of the Magpies storming through the strugglers from Molineux were quickly over.
Things have picked up since Vitor Pereira took over last month and they looked a dangerous proposition as they nearly caught Howe’s side cold.
Hwang Hee-Chan’s cutback from the left was deflected straight into the path of Goncalo Guedes, only the Portuguese international dragged a low strike wide of the far post.
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Wolves had no intention of coming here and parking the bus as they continued to get plenty of bodies forward while their high-line kept catching out Isak and his fellow Toon pals.
Chances were proving to be few and far between and it took Murphy, in similar circumstances, to force Sa into action again.
Finally, as the clock ticked past half hour, Isak finally got his opening.
Toon countered with Guimaraes charging forward from halfway.
He had Murphy racing away to his right, but the Brazilian opted for the opposite flank and slipped in his side’s top scorer.
Isak cut inside his man and let rip right-footed only his effort clipped the wrong side of the post.
Though, when you are in the form that he is in, fortune always appears to be on your side.
And moments later lady luck shined on him as he broke the deadlock on the 34th minute.
Murphy switched play from right to left on another counter to the lurking hotshot.
Isak cut back in and evaded three challenges as he moved centrally and struck it right-footed towards goal from the edge of the area.
Sa looked to have it covered, but the fierce shot took a wicked deflection off Wolves ace Rayan Ait-Nouri, completely wrong-footing the goalie, and floated into the back of net.
He now joins Jamie Vardy, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Daniel Sturridge to net eight Prem matches on the trot.
Wolves could, and should, have been level before the break.
Rodrigo Gomez found Jorgen Strand Larsen but the big forward’s first-time hit clipped the outside of the post and went wide.
Joelinton thundered a 25 yard rocket over the bar in response and then inadvertently deflected his team-mate Sandro Tonali’s snap-shot off-target as they remained just one in it at the break.
Matheus Cunha, Wolves’ ten-goal top scorer, was introduced off the bench at half time and he stung the hands of Martin Dubravka with one of his first touches.
But any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished thanks to some Brazil-iance.
And you just know who got it.
Samba star Guimaraes produced a defence-splitting pass through three on the edge of the box to leave Isak left with the simple task of slotting past Sa for his 17th of the season.
The £150m-rated star is not just a goal machine either.
Seconds after Cunha, back from his suspension, fired another long-ranger past the post it was three as Isak turned provider.
After firstly being denied by a block when charging down the right of the box, he composed himself and slid the ball across for Anthony Gordon to make it three.
There would be no hat-trick for Isak as he received a standing ovation when going off along with Gordon and Murphy.
It ended up being a bad night all-round in the end for Wolves despite a late flurry following the Toon changes.
Santiago Bueno thought he had got a late consolation when he bundled home from close-range when a corner hit Joelinton.
But that was ruled out for offside and then Strand Larsen’s deflected shot bobbled up and hit the crossbar before being cleared.
That result leaves Pereira’s side still stuck in the bottom three but for Howe, Isak and the Magpies, they continue to keep flying high as they close on in another record this weekend.