Cometh the hour, cometh the man. When Newcastle United needed him most, Allan Saint-Maximin stepped up with a stunning equaliser at the death against Wolves.
As the minutes ticked by at Molineux, Newcastle were heading for their first defeat of the season after Ruben Neves had put Wolves in front with an absolute screamer in the first half. However, Saint-Maximin had other ideas in the 90th minute.
When Hwang Hee-Chan's sliced clearance fell to Saint-Maximin just outside the area, it did not look like the chance was even on, but the mercurial forward had the vision and technique to rifle a volley past Jose Sa and send Eddie Howe and his staff darting town the touchline in delight. Howe had challenged Saint-Maximin to 'bring it' every week after his menacing display seven days previously against champions Man City and although the 25-year-old was not at his absolute best at Wolves, he stepped up once more to rescue a valuable point.
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It was not just the goal that delighted Howe. It did not go unnoticed, for example, that it was Saint-Maximin who selflessly sprinted the length of the field to help his team-mates just minutes earlier when Wolves had a three v one situation. That would have been an unimaginable prospect once upon a time, but it seems the penny has dropped for Saint-Maximin when it comes to Howe's 'non-negotiables' out of possession.
That breakaway ultimately ended in Raul Jimenez putting the ball in the back of the net. However, Jimenez's strike was chalked off after Ryan Fraser was fouled in the build-up.
The goal would have put Wolves out of sight, at 2-0, but it was Newcastle who ultimately looked the likelier winners after equalising late on. Elliot Anderson could have even snatched all three points deep into stoppage time, but the substitute's header struck the crossbar.
Although Newcastle have played better this season, crucially, the Magpies kept going after falling behind in the 38th minute. Even without the injured Callum Wilson, Bruno Guimaraes and Jonjo Shelvey, Newcastle found a way.
Newcastle ultimately had to settle for a point as the visitors maintained their unbeaten start to the season. This is actually Newcastle's best start since 2011 when, incidentally, the black-and-whites went on to finish fifth. Newcastle have an awful lot of work to do to follow in the footsteps of Alan Pardew's side, of course, but, just like the recent games against Brighton and Man City, this was another acid test as new record signing Alexander Isak watched on from the stands.
While it was too early for Isak to feature - the Sweden international did not receive his work permit in time - the striker travelled to support his new team-mates and to sample a Premier League match day experience for the first time. It will have certainly whetted the £58m man's appetite.
"He was in the dressing room," Howe told reporters after the 1-1 draw. "We wanted him to experience the game as a player even though he couldn't play. It would have been an eye opener for him just the physicality of the game.
"It was end to end, a very open football match. If I'm looking at it through his eyes, I'd be excited looking at our team today and how many chances we could create for him, but I'd also realise I'd have to contribute to the team in a physical way because that game was brutal."
Isak was among those players who were unavailable, but this game was an opportunity for others, such as Sean Longstaff and Chris Wood, to step up and the pair were among only three survivors from the midweek cup win at Tranmere. Howe made eight changes all told as Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron were all restored to the starting line-up.
If Wednesday night's trip to Prenton Park was a scrap, well, this game started similarly as both sides struggled to keep the ball during a frenetic opening. There were just four minutes on the clock when Joelinton poked the ball through to Chris Wood, who was forced wide by the onrushing Jose Sa, and the goalkeeper pushed the Newcastle striker's shot behind.
Then, just a few minutes later, it was Wolves' turn to test the visitors. Ruben Neves cut Newcastle open with a stunning ball to send Goncalo Guedes in down the right and the debutant picked out Neto inside the box, but the forward's effort landed on the roof out of the net after Nick Pope rushed out.
It was a remarkably open contest and Newcastle were soon in again in the 12th minute when Wood's shot was blocked and the ball fell to Joe Willock on the rebound who, somehow, fired wide from inside the area. It was a glorious opportunity but Newcastle were furious that a penalty was not awarded in the build-up after Sean Longstaff's shirt was tugged by Matheus Nunes inside the box just seconds earlier.
In a game of few clear-cut chances, despite the end-to-end nature of the contest, it felt like a big moment and Wolves soon came close to breaking the deadlock, themselves, midway through the first half. However, Nunes, the man of the moment, headed wide after Raul Jimenez dispossessed Trippier and crossed the ball into the box.
It was a reminder that, for all the territory and possession Newcastle enjoyed - 64% all told - and all the shots the visitors had, Wolves were very much in this and Ruben Neves duly broke the deadlock with a superb strike in the 38th minute. Newcastle failed to deal with a free-kick in the build-up and Guedes eventually cut the ball back to Neves, who had just enough time to pick his spot and let fly from outside the area to put Wolves in front.
It was a sucker punch for Newcastle right before half-time, but the Magpies responded after the break. Howe made a tactical change midway through the second half and Wood and Dan Burn were replaced by substitutes Ryan Fraser and Matt Targett.
Saint-Maximin, as a result, was deployed through the middle and it was from that very position that the Frenchman silenced Molineux in the 90th minute with a moment of magic that had the Newcastle bench on their feet. Not for the last time you suspect.
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