Newcastle arrived at Molineux in retro shirts to bring back memories of David Ginola and Les Ferdinand but there was neither swagger nor flair in this goalless draw against Wolves. There was the potential to go fifth in the Premier League with a win for the Magpies but instead they toiled on their way to a point.

With two-thirds of possession throughout, Newcastle must have expected to come away with more but they possessed neither the creativity nor finishing. Wolves were worthy of the draw, which moves them three points away from Derby’s worst tally of 11, a total many home supporters feared would not be overcome at Christmas.

The two teams kicked off with confidence growing; Wolves were four unbeaten in all competitions after a traumatic start to the season and Newcastle had won three Premier League games in row. The visitors controlled the game early on, maintaining possession and testing for the gaps in the home defence but apart from two misdirected headers from the ineffective Nick Woltemade, they lacked an immediate threat.

“We needed more in attack,” Eddie Howe said. “I was generally happy with the attitude, the endeavour, the effort from the players I thought was there but the quality was ­missing. I think in games like that, you’re ­looking for one moment of individual brilliance that wins us a game or a set play. All the way through, I thought it could come, even to the very last kick, but it wasn’t to be.”

Wolves got to enjoy playing in front of a crowd who did not arrive fearful. Rob Edwards has created order with the set up and they are more difficult to break down while offering danger on the counter. Jackson Tchatchoua used his speed to get down the right but two crosses in quick succession were blocked before any ­danger could arise.

For all the composure ­Newcastle showed when building attacks, they lacked a spark in the final third. Too much ponderous football on the edge of the Wolves box made it easy for the golden back five to defend. Space was at a premium but Newcastle did not know how to create more. Crosses came and went but Newcastle failed to test José Sá in the first half.

A key component of Wolves’ mini‑resurgence has been the teenager Mateus Mané, who had the first shot on target with a clever volley when his back was to goal. He is the only player who brings the energy in midfield alongside the diligence of André and João Gomes.

Mané was allowed to drift on to the left wing to put pressure on Kieran Trippier, who was playing his third game back after a two-month injury layoff, but the defender stayed strong at the cost of a cut to the head, caused inadvertently by the Wolves teenager’s boot.

Despite the forlorn nature of Woltemade’s performance, it was Wolves who moved to change a striker first. Tolu Arokodare, after 65 minutes or so of graft, was withdrawn for Jørgen Strand Larsen.

Fresh from a hat-trick in the FA Cup thrashing of Shrewsbury, the Norwegian must have been eager to show he can do it in the Premier League, especially against a team that were contemplating spending £60m on him in the summer, but there will be no attacking reinforcements for Newcastle this month. “I don’t think we’ve got the financial ability to do that,” Howe said.

Newcastle continued to dominate, eventually sending on Yoane Wissa for Woltemade as part of a triple substitution to liven things up. Most of Newcastle’s plan centred around corner kicks but the delivery was not up to scratch, especially against a side with plenty of height and something different was required after 70 minutes without a shot on target. A Trippier free-kick from 30 yards rippled the outside of the net to continue the blunt theme.

Wolves’ own attacking credentials were diminishing, unable to counter in the way that irritated the Newcastle defence before the break. The marauding Yerson Mosquera enjoyed breaking forward from right centre-back to keep lifting the crowd but a chance for a Wolves winner never arrived.

Sá finally proved his alertness in the 85th minute to save from Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton but ­beating the goalkeeper would have made it a fortunate victory.

A month ago, Wolves may have folded but showed how far they have come, while Newcastle proved how far they need to go to be Champions League contenders.

“I think [with] the quality of the team that we’re up against, the quality of the players that they’ve got, it was a really solid, spirited performance,” Edwards said. “It’s another step forward. It’s a clean sheet against the top team. It’s a couple of clean sheets in a row in the league. We look more resilient. I think there’s more belief there. That’s hard to turn around from the position that we were in.”