Nick Woltemade marked his Newcastle debut with a decisive first-half header to secure a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park, ending the Magpies’ wait for a Premier League win this season.

The 23-year-old German, signed from Stuttgart in a club-record £69m deal to replace Alexander Isak, rose to meet Jacob Murphy’s cross and delivered the goal that lifted the mood after three winless matches.

Eddie Howe praised his new striker’s impact, saying: “It was great to see Nick score on his debut. Very strong, I was very pleased with him. Tactically he understood what we wanted. He took his goal brilliantly.”

Newcastle had to weather an early Wolves storm, with Nick Pope producing key saves from Rodrigo Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan in the opening minutes, before Murphy tested goalkeeper José Sá twice at the other end.

Woltemade’s finish proved enough as the hosts tightened up defensively to see out the win.

Howe hinted at future options in attack, with new attacker Yoane Wissa still awaiting his debut after a knee injury.

“It’s something we can do and we will look at. I don’t know if we want to change the tactical framework too much but I’ll never rule anything out,” he said.

The victory eases pressure on Newcastle ahead of Thursday’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, where Woltemade could feature again.