BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has praised the leadership of Jamaal Lascelles amid 'some very sharp criticism' of Newcastle this season.
The Magpies captain opened the scoring on Sunday as he bulleted a header beyond Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio at the Leazes End.
The 25-year-old then marshalled a three-man defence who managed to keep Wolves largely at bay during a second-half onslaught at St James' Park, as United escaped with a 1-1 draw following Sean Longstaff's red card.
His performance was enough to warrant a spot in Crooks' Premier League Team of the Week and after a tough start to the season, the former Tottenham star believes his leadership has been 'quite brilliant' during a difficult spell.
"After a poor start to the season Newcastle responded to some very sharp criticism," Crooks wrote in his weekly column for the BBC.
"Their performance away at Spurs was probably the catalyst to their resurgence. Leadership has been the key both on and off the pitch. Jamaal Lascelles has been quite brilliant in that department for Newcastle. He takes responsibility in defence and is not afraid to attack in the opponent’s box.
"Wolves, on the other hand, looked the better side in the second half but Newcastle held the fort and with 10 men. Newcastle displayed plenty of bottle."
