Wolves boss Gary O'Neil refused to turn on his players after defeat at Newcastle.

A patched-up Wolves team were beaten 3-0 on Saturday.

O'Neil said: "I'm really proud of the group and I thought they gave absolutely everything. We've had a tough week, a really good week, but a really tough week and a tough end to the week.

“Key players missing, a lot of young lads in and around it today, and we had large spells in the game where we looked really good, had lots of control, had loads of the ball, but two real slack moments for the goals cost us.

“They were lucky that both of them ended up costing us and two of them had large deflections on them, but one we left ourselves open on the counter-attack, which was really disappointing because we spoke about it and the second one was the pressing phase which we go slightly wrong.

“There was a touch of fortune in both of the goals, and it wasn't a 2-0 first half because I thought we had some moments of real control, which you don't often see at St James' Park, for a team to come away and dominate the ball.

“We got into some real good situations, but didn't have enough quality to get in on the goal, but in terms of the group giving everything they've got, they did that again. Then the third one comes when we were very open and the lads didn't deserve a three-nil as that flatters Newcastle. But it's one of those days that you have to accept.

“Sometimes you meet Newcastle when they're on the up, they have a lot of players coming back, some of the substitutes they were able to make, but we were not at that. We're at a different moment, and we're as short as we've been all year, off the back of three games in six days, so it's a tough one for the boys, but I'm really proud that they kept going and gave everything."