Manchester United labored to a gritty 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux on Sunday. An excellent strike from in-form Mason Greenwood gave United maximum points after some heroics from David de Gea to keep Wolves out. United’s win helped them break the English record for most games unbeaten on the road dating back to February 2020.
Stutter Stutter Stutter….
Barring the opening couple of minutes, Wolves were in total control of the game in the first half. The hosts were sitting deep and defending and breaking quickly through Adama Traore and Trincao. Wolves’ counterattacks gave United’s midfield and defense plenty of headaches as the hosts came close on several occasions. Traore went on a trademark 70-yard run towards the United box before playing a pass to Jimenez. Fortunately, de Gea made a good save on the near post to keep Jimenez out.
Minutes later, Wolves broke into the attacking third after a corner on the other end. A ghastly error from Fred gifted Jimenez the ball and the striker looked set to score. Wan-Bissaka pulled off an excellent sliding clearance to keep the game level. Nervy start from United as Wolves were having their own way with the visitors. Joao Moutinho came close in the 13th minute after a sharp interception on the left from Jimenez.
The visiting team looked to slow down the pace of the game and did so successfully. Although United did not come close to scoring themselves, they also denied Wolves any real chances on goal. Pogba tried an excellent first-time pass into Bruno’s path in the 38th minute. Although the Portuguese man scored, he was adjudged offside. Pogba’s vision is admirable especially when he makes those passes and the front 3 for United should look to exploit that a bit more often. United almost gained the lead in the dying moments of the first half as Mason Greenwood’s low shot fizzed right past the goalpost. At halftime, Wolves still looked likelier to score and go ahead but United’s back four had held firm.
Stutter Stutter Score! Mason!!
The home side started the second half with as much pace as they started the first. Trincao ran free into the box and drew a gutsy sliding block from Varane. Meanwhile, Edinson Cavani came on to replace Daniel James who put in a good defensive effort. Fred had a tame effort saved on the other end as the game became very frantic and end-to-end. In the 63rd minute, Trincao had another opportunity inside the United box but scuffed his attempt wide. Minutes later, United fans had their hearts in their mouths. Romain Saiss beat Varane to a header off a Moutinho corner. Saiss’s header from point-blank was palmed away by de Gea. However, the Wolves man shot the rebound back towards goal from 3 yards out only to be denied by United’s shot-stopper de Gea yet again. Incredible scenes at the Molineux as de Gea channeled prime form to deny Wolves by hook or by crook.
David and Mason Show
Ole looked to find a foothold in the game and strangely decided to bring on Anthony Martial in place of Jadon Sancho. A tough outing for Sancho as he continues to grow into the team. Paul Pogba came close after he fired a rocket heading towards the top corner but Wolves’ Sa was able to palm it over the bar. The final 15 minutes of the game looked fiery but a 0-0 draw also seemed like the most likely result as both sides lacked the finishing edge.
As the clock struck 80, United channeled their Fergie time spirits and put themselves in the lead. A 50-50 challenge between Pogba and Neves gave Varane the ball. The new center back played it out to Mason Greenwood. The youngster sprinted into the box, shuffled his feet to lose his marker, and fired a shot across the face of the goal. Although Jose Sa got a hand to it, the ball nestled into the far top corner sending United’s traveling fans into raptures. Frustration piled for the home side who waited and wished for a VAR call that never came. Ole brought on Diogo Dalot to seal the game out, replacing goalscorer Mason Greenwood. At full-time, it was United riding high from a tough victory, and from the return of their beloved CR7.
All About the Points
When it comes to the league, fans will take a victory no matter how it is attained. Although United struggled for massive portions of the game, they took the lead and that is what matters the most. Wolves are a tough side to break down and were playing a new brand of football that was very hard to beat. Fred struggled in the first half but pulled it together for the second as did Pogba and Bruno. The back four were immense today and kept Wolves in the hunt for the whole game. Although Mason Greenwood scored the winner, David de Gea deserves the Man of the Match for denying Saiss from point-blank range.
United play Newcastle on September 11th after the International break, and fans will be licking their lips at the prospect of seeing their all-time favorite Cristiano Ronaldo kit up for the Reds at Old Trafford. As for this game, 3 points is what was needed, and 3 points is what we got. That is all. To quote my favorite family man Vin Diesel, “It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning’s winning”
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