Eddie Howe claims Newcastle had another match-winner vs Wolves as well as Harvey Barnes

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Harvey Barnes is the man of the moment at Newcastle United.

He scored the winner as Newcastle United beat Wolves 2-1 on Sunday. It was an incredible goal, and his second of the season.

Harvey Barves proved he should be starting for Newcastle, having been dropped to the bench in favour of Jacob Murphy. That was a controversial decision, although Eddie Howe will argue it paid off as he brought Barnes on to score a magnificent winner.

Regardless, the 26-year-old scored the decisive goal. However, Eddie Howe does not think Barnes was the only decisive player at Molineux.

Eddie Howe thinks Nick Pope was also decisive for Newcastle against Wolves

The Newcastle United manager also praised Nick Pope for his efforts against Wolves, admitting that the England international played a key role in the Magpies picking up all three points.

After the game against Wolves, Howe spoke to the Northern Echo about Pope’s performance.

“I’m really pleased for Nick,” he said.

“Whenever a player goes away on international duty, it’s always a different dynamic. With the players that we keep here, we can really focus on what they’re doing and we’re in tune with their performances.

“When players go away, they miss our contact time and there’s always that trust about how they’re going to come back.

“But you can see how Nick has come back, and the effect he has on the team. He made two or three great saves that ultimately end up helping us win the game.

“He’s a top class goalkeeper and I’m delighted for him.”

What Jamie Carragher said about Pope during the early stages of Wolves vs Newcastle

While his shot-stopping ability cannot be questioned, Pope did endure a nervy start to Sunday’s game in the West Midlands.

There were multiple occasions that he looked uncomfortable with the ball at his feet, and there was a worry that it was going to cost Newcastle United.

Sky Sports commentator Jamie Carragher even remarked on it, saying: “Pope looks really nervous any time the ball comes near him, some keepers are just better with the ball at their feet.”

But while Pope is not a master at playing out from the back and his kicking is often dubious, he makes up for it with his tremendous ability as an out-and-out goalkeeper.

The £10million man made some outstanding saves, including a decisive one to deny Matheus Cunha in stoppage time.

Barnes may have got the winner, but some of the saves that Pope made were just as vital.

Newcastle would be doing much worse without Pope

Last season, Newcastle United really struggled when Pope was unavailable.

Martin Dubravka came into the side, and his introduction coincided with the Toon defence losing their way.

Thankfully, Pope is back now, and he has made a real difference. He is much more commanding, acting as a sweeper keeper at times, which allows Newcastle to play higher up the pitch.

Despite the return of Pope, the Newcastle defence is still not at its best. They were all over the place at times against Wolves, and had to rely on Pope to bail them out.

He did just that, and Howe was delighted with the performance of his goalkeeper. We would be in a much worse position without him.