The Argentina international provided the flourish with a sublime injury-time strike as the Magpies defeated Wolves at St James' Park to calm frayed nerves after a run of just one win in nine league games. That left them in ninth place on Saturday evening, seven points above the relegation zone with as many matches left to play and with a goal difference of plus two, which is effectively worth another point. Newcastle, of course, were relegated two seasons ago on 34 points when just one more would have kept them up, although the total required this season is likely to be significantly higher. But Gutierrez is convinced 42 will be enough for the promoted club to achieve its one and only aim for the campaign, and if that target is reached at Aston Villa next Sunday, all the better. The 27-year-old said: "We need a few more points and the quicker we can get them, the better. "I think three points will be enough to give us another year in the Premier League, and then we will see where we are and where we can go. "But the most important thing now is to get to 42 points, which should keep us in the Premier League." The Magpies approached Saturday's game knowing there was little margin for error, but expecting the toughest of test against a resurgent Wolves side which had taken eight points from the previous 12 on offer to give themselves real momentum in their own bid for safety. However, for 50 minutes, the game was painfully one-sided as Alan Pardew's men assumed complete control and threatened to win at a canter. Skipper Kevin Nolan, who later picked up his 10th booking of the season and a two-match ban for a cynical trip on winger Adam Hammill, opened the scoring with a neat 22nd-minute finish, his 12th of the season, after running on to Shola Ameobi's flick-on. Ameobi helped himself to a second on the stroke of half-time when he powered home a header from Peter Lovenkrands' inviting cross, and when the Dane steered Joey Barton's pinpoint ball past goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey five minutes after the break, the visitors were in disarray. However, Wolves belatedly found a rhythm and after striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake converted Matt Jarvis' 58th-minute cross, Newcastle briefly wobbled in the face of an onslaught. But the storm abated as time ran down and Gutierrez had the last word when, after substitute Steven Taylor had made an important block inside his own penalty area and surged forward down the left, he played in the South American to cut inside and curl a delicious shot across Hennessey and into the bottom corner. Gutierrez said: "We couldn't afford to lose this game. We worked hard, we played good football, we did the right things, we scored many goals and we defended properly, so we are really happy with the whole team. "It was really important because of the last nine games, we had won only one. "The teams at the bottom of the table had come closer to us and we needed to win. At home, it's important, so we really enjoyed the win." Asked about his goal, the Argentinian modestly played down his contribution. He said: "I am happy about the result, not me scoring. "It's nice when that happens, but I wasn't thinking about me scoring, I was thinking more about the three points which leave us in a good position now in the table." Wolves boss Mick McCarthy admitted his side had endured a bad day at the office as they slipped into 19th place, but promised they will be better when they entertain Everton next Saturday. He said: "Newcastle, I don't feel, have ever been an easy touch to come up here and just expect to win because we have had a bit of momentum and have been playing well. "Does a team that's been in the bottom three as long as we have suddenly become a great team that's going to play well every week? "Well no, it's not, so we have had a bad one today. But we will re-group on Monday and we will get ready for Everton, and we will be better."
