Wolves 1-4 Manchester United: Ruben Amorim’s side go sixth after crushing bottom-of-the-table fodder
Manchester United will take delight in what eventually turned out to be a routine win, but perhaps the bigger story is that of woeful Wolves, with only two points in 15 games, and even the supporters having seemingly accepted that relegation is inevitable.
Bruno Fernandes scored twice, and Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount added another two, as United had a rare big win to move up to sixth in the table. Wolves, meanwhile, are at the other end of the table, rock bottom.
Arriving at Molineaux with United on Monday night was Matheus Cunha, who left Wolves in the summer, having been one of the key players who near-miraculously saved Wolves from relegation last season.
Things have been so bad at the Old Gold that there was a protest before the game. Large sections of Wolves fans waited outside and only entered the stadium after 15 minutes had been played.
Ten minutes after that United took the lead. Casemiro dispossessed Wolves’ Andre in midfield and United worked the ball into the box before Fernandes, having initially slipped as he tried to meet a pass from Matheus Cunha, recovered his footing to squeeze a shot beyond Sam Johnstone.
Wolves found a lifeline in stoppage time of the first half, when United’s slack defending allowed Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to stretch and convert from David Moller Wolfe’s cutback.
There were fears at half time with the scores level that United would make a mess of an opportunity to dispatch an out-of-sorts opponent and climb up the table. But Amorim’s side came out sharper and retook the lead within six minutes.
Luke Shaw won the ball off Bellegarde and launched a counterattack that saw Cunha slide the ball to Diogo Dalot, who squared for Mbeumo to finish into an open goal. Bellegarde was injured in the earlier collision with Shaw and forced off afterwards.
United kept pushing and then got a third through Mount. After Fernandes’ lofted pass picked him out in acres of space in front of goal, he delivered his third goal of the season on the volley.
The match was effectively settled when VAR intervened for a penalty call, after Amad Diallo’s shot was judged to have hit Yerson Mosquera’s arm. Fernandes converted to secure his brace. Molineaux had been emptying long before then.
