Man Utd 1 Wolves 0
Erik ten Hag’s side welcomed Wolves to Old Trafford for their first Premier League game with a home record that suggested this was not going to be a good evening for the visitors. Having signed Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund in the summer, confidence is high amongst the fans that Man Utd can challenge for trophies this season. Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has only been in the job for a matter of days since the resignation of Julen Lopetegui, disrupting the club’s plans for the new season.
The Red Devils saw a lot of the ball in the early stages of the game but failed to really create any clear-cut chances in front of goal. The visitors looked to pass the ball around when they had it, seeming to be the way the new manager wants his side to play, which worked well for Wolves. When they were able to play through the Man Utd press, they created problems, stretching the host’s defence.
Matheus Cunha had the best chance of the first half for the visitors when he hit a shot from a tight angle passed Onana, narrowly fizzing wide of the far post. Man Utd looked vulnerable when Wolves beat their midfield and run at their back four, the visitors all too often picking the wrong pass in the final third however. Gary O’Neil will take a lot of positivity from the passing game his side employed in the first half and went in at the interval feeling they should be leading.
Cunha went on a lung-bursting run from his own half to the Man Utd penalty area, beating Casemiro and Martinez on the way before laying it off to Semedo whose shot deflected off Varane and narrowly missed Onana’s far post. Another chance went begging for the visitors. The manager would start to wonder whether his side would pay for not taking one of these chances sooner or later.
Credit: @ManUtd
Erik ten Hag’s side created nothing more than half chances, as was summed up by Raphael Varane’s free header on the stroke of half-time that went well wide of the goal. Last season, they were 20th in the league for goals from corners, a stat that showed no signs of changing in this half. While Man Utd had glimpses of Jose Sa’s goal, the visitors were willing to put their bodies on the line and prevent the hosts from being able to get shots away at goal. Antony, sporting a new hair colour, was probably the highlight but more so for his uncanny resemblance to a Brazilian Ric Flair. Wooooo!!!
No sooner had the second-half started, Wolves were at it again. They worked the ball well down the right wing before crossing to the back post to find an unmarked Cunha, expecting to see the net bulge. He got his shot all wrong and thundered it off the outside of the post. The midfielder continued to cause Man Utd problems and went on another run before getting a shot away which Andre Onana could only tip around the post. The visitors kept knocking on the door.
Cunha seemed to be enjoying tormenting the Man Utd midfield and defence, bursting through the centre and laying the ball off to Hwang. They worked it to Neto who had a clear sight of goal but could only hit his shot straight at Onana. Either side of the keeper and it would have been a goal. Another big chance went begging for the visitors. Such is the way in football, you knew Wolves would eventually pay for all these missed chances.
Wan-Bissaka lofted the ball across the box and Varane was first to it and headed it into the goal as Old Trafford erupted. Gary O’Neil’s head dropped on the touchline and says everything about the Man Utd goal. His side had worked so hard in this game and their inability to take their chances would mean that they would come away from the game with nothing to show for their performance. Something which we saw a lot of last season from the Midlands club.
Matheus Nunes played a neat one-two with Semedo and got to the byline before finding Fabio Silva who fired in a low shot which Onana saved with his feet. Minutes later, the two players combine again and Silva had another chance but again the Man Utd keeper saved with his feet. All of the real chances in the game were coming to the visitors but they just could not take any of them.
Wolves dominated the final fifteen minutes of the game, Man Utd weren’t able to clear the ball, as wave after wave of attack from the visitors came at them. In the 96th minute Onana came for a cross, missed the ball completely, and wiped out Kalajdzic. VAR reviewed it and unbelievably did not see anything wrong with the incident. Gary O’Neil could not believe it and shown a yellow card for his remonstrating. You wonder what the point of VAR is when it is not giving clear and obvious decisions like that. Man Utd took the three points and Wolves can justifiably feel hard done by, having had 23 shots during the game, the highest of any team at Old Trafford since 2005.
Credit: @ManUtd
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