NEWCASTLE 2 WOLVES 0

IT was a night for history at St James’ Park, both ancient and modern. Newcastle righted a recent wrong as first-half goals from Matt Ritchie and Yoan Gouffran ensured they avenged Saturday’s league defeat to Wolves by beating the same opponents to reach the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

And as they secured their place in the last 16 of the competition, the Magpies evoked memories of when they last beat Wolves in a cup game. Back then, in 1951, Newcastle went on to lift the FA Cup at Wembley. What price Rafael Benitez filling a notable gap on his CV by repeating the feat in the League Cup final this season?

Clearly, some much stiffer tests lie in wait, but having constantly devalued the cup competitions in a misguided attempt to reduce the threat of suffering relegation to the Championship, it would be typical of Newcastle to finally enjoy some knock-out success now they find themselves in the second tier.

They certainly have a deep enough squad to be able to compete on multiple fronts, with last night’s game underlining the gulf in resources that separates Newcastle from Wolves.

Walter Zenga made eight changes from the side that had triumphed at St James’ Park four days earlier, and Wolves looked weak and inexperienced as a result. Benitez made eight changes, and was still left with a team that would not have looked out of place contesting a crucial Championship fixture.

Ritchie and Gouffran, whose goals came within the space of three minutes shortly before the break, boast extensive Premier League experience, as do Jonjo Shelvey and Jack Colback, who controlled the heart of midfield. Even Daryl Murphy and Achraf Lazaar, who were making their Newcastle debuts after summer moves from Ipswich and Palermo respectively, cost a combined total of £6m.

Murphy, who arrived in the final week of the transfer window, was signed largely thanks to his physical presence and extensive experience of life in the Championship. He is a markedly different option to Dwight Gayle, who led the line to minimal effect in Saturday’s defeat, and his willingness to compete for aerial challenges meant Newcastle were able to adopt a more direct approach than had been the case in the majority of their previous games this season.

The closest he came to scoring was a first-half header that flew wide and an 89th-minute snapshot that whistled over the crossbar, but it will be interesting to see whether Benitez regards him as a more reliable option than Aleksandar Mitrovic in the next few weeks.

With Mo Diame also comfortable in the air, Newcastle looked to get the ball forward much more quickly last night than they had at the weekend, although Wolves’ centre-half pairing of Dominic Iorfa and Kortney Hause initially stood firm.

They were helped by some poor crossing, with Lazaar especially culpable as he fired two wretched first-half centres straight into the Gallowgate End. Ritchie was no better, hitting the first Wolves defender with successive set-pieces, and as the half-hour approached, Newcastle were in need of a moment of magic to get them going. Instead, they produced two.

The first came courtesy of Ritchie, with the winger playing a slick one-two with Colback on the corner of the penalty area before gliding into the box. With Wolves’ defenders standing off him, he curled a deft low finish into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

That was a fine goal, but it was nothing compared to what was to follow two minutes later. Gouffran produced an early contender for Goal of the Season when he lashed home a first-time volley at Derby earlier this month, and last night’s effort was every bit as special as his shooting technique came to the fore once more.

Ritchie’s cross from the right-hand side initially looked to be too high for Gouffran to strike first time, but having charged into the 18-yard box, the Frenchman manoeuvred his left leg into position and fashioned a first-time strike that flew past Wolves goalkeeper Andy Lonergan. Having been close to leaving Tyneside for the majority of the summer, Gouffran is quickly developing into an integral member of Newcastle’s strongest team.

A two-goal interval lead represented a welcome cushion, although things might have been markedly different had Wolves converted their only first-half chance, which came when the scores were still level.

Paul Gladon’s flick sent Jed Wallace galloping into the area, but Karl Darlow raced off his line to save the midfielder’s low shot with his legs. For all that Matz Sels has improved in recent weeks, Darlow continues to look a much more reliable goalkeeper.

Lonergan was shakier at the other end, and the Wolves goalkeeper was almost beaten for a third time at the start of the second half.

Diame spotted Lonergan off his line after picking up Murphy’s lay-off, but his deft chip rebounded off the crossbar after looping over the stranded keeper. Gouffran should have converted the rebound, but he blazed over from the edge of the six-yard box. Clearly, the Frenchman only deals in spectacular strikes.

Colback went close with an effort that fizzed past the post shortly after, before Darlow was forced to produce his second telling save of the night with 13 minutes left. Wolves substitute Ola John broke into the box, but Darlow was alert to the danger and made a smart save at his near post.

With Newcastle content to sit on their advantage, the final stages were played at a pedestrian pace. Ayoze Perez and Christian Atsu came on, with skipper Jamaal Lascelles making a late appearance to bolster the back four, but the Magpies’ place in this evening’s fourth-round draw was never seriously challenged.