Lua Lua gives Newcastle a case of double vision

Wolves 0 Newcastle United

He may have caught the eye with his assured defending for most of the afternoon, but Titus Bramble also caught Dean Sturridge with a late challenge in the 32nd minute of Newcastle's win at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The tackle left Sturridge with a badly gashed leg and needing a trip to the local hospital for an X-ray. So much for a gentle pre-season friendly.

The incident was the only blot on the Newcastle copybook, as the visitors enjoyed their most serious run-out yet. "I thought Titus was unlucky," Sir Bobby Robson said. "He didn't mean anything nasty."

If the old adage that you can judge the strength of a club by the players who are sitting on the bench is true, then Newcastle can look towards the coming season with great confidence. How is this for a list of substitutes: Shay Given, Marcelino, Shola Ameobi, Jermaine Jenas, Clarence Acuna and Carl Cort. Even more encouraging for the Toon Army is the fact that there were two major absentees, the French left-winger Laurent Robert and Wales's perfect foil for Alan Shearer in attack, Craig Bellamy.

Not that their non-participation cramped the visitors' style unduly, as the multi-cultural and cultured midfield trio of Wales's Gary Speed, England's Kieron Dyer and, in particular, the Portuguse new-boy Hugo Viana provided the ammunition for the lightening quick Lomana Lua Lua, who partnered Shearer up front. It took all of 10 minutes for the team who finished fourth in last season's Premiership to make their superiority tell, as Viana, an £8.5m summer purchase from Sporting Lisbon, fed Lua Lua with a simple throughball which the young striker side-footed past Scott Oakes with great aplomb.

Another positive for Sir Bobby to take away from this friendly was the performances of some of the fringe players. The goalkeeper is a case in point. Given was rested yesterday, having had only a shortened holiday due to his participation in the World Cup with the Republic of Ireland. In his place was Steve Harper, whose 35th-minute save was as good as any produced by his international colleague. Shaun Newton's low, rasping right-foot shot looked certain to finish in the back of the Newcastle net, but the Magpies reserve-team goalkeeper somehow managed to get down to palm the ball away to safety. Harper further illustrated his skills with another excellent clearance from the same player four minutes after the restart.

The heavens opened shortly after the restart and Wolves struggled to create any meaningful chances in the tricky conditions. As a result, Newcastle simply soaked up any pressure and then broke quickly and intelligently. On 67 minutes, a neat move resulted in Lua Lua picking his spot from the right-hand side of the area for his second goal of the afternoon. Newcastle were a class apart. "They're quality," said Dave Jones, the Wolves manager. "And that's where we want to be."

Wolves 0 Newcastle United 2
Lua Lua 10, 67

Half-time: 0-1