Wolves v Man Utd LIVE: Result as Matheus Cunha scores from corner after Bruno Fernandes sent off
Hosts Wolves climbed out of the relegation zone with victory over Ruben Amorim’s struggling Manchester United
Wolves saw off a tepid Manchester United at Molineux on Boxing Day with a 2-0 victory that lifted them out of the relegation zone.
United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off as his side went down – a fourth defeat in their last five Premier League games.
Fernandes earned a second yellow card two minutes after the interval and United’s gloom deepened as Matheus Cunha scored direct from a corner.
It was an embarrassing moment for United keeper Andre Onana and one that summed up the malaise at the club as they languish in the bottom half of the table.
Wolves held on through a nervy eight added minutes against the 10 men and Hwang Hee-chan made absolutely sure with virtually the last kick after a counter-attack to make it a joyous first home game in charge for new manager Vitor Pereira who began his reign with an away win at Leicester City.
Victory lifted Wolves out of the bottom three into 17th place with 15 points from 18 games while Ruben Amorim’s United ended the day in 14th place with 22 points.
Follow all of the latest reaction from Molineux in our live blog below:
Kick-off! Wolves 0-0 Man Utd
We’re underway at Molineux and United immediately steal the ball and go on the attack down the right, where Mazraoui’s cross doesn’t quite find Hojlund.
Wolves v Man Utd – team news
Rayan Ait-Nouri replaces Ricardo Gomes in the sole change to the line-up that thumped Leicester in Vitor Pereira’s impressive first match in charge.
Ruben Amorim makes two changes to his Manchester United team. Leny Yoro comes into the side for Tyrell Malacia, with Mazraoui presumably shifting from the back three to wing-back as a result, and Rasmus Hojlund returns to the starting line-up in place of Joshua Zirkzee up front. Matthijs de Ligt is back on the bench after a brief illness.
Wolves v Man Utd – line-ups
A reminder of how the two teams line up today:
Wolves: Sa, Semedo, Doherty, Bueno, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Andre, J.Gomes, Guedes, Cunha, Larsen
Subs: Johnstone, Dawson, Meupiyou, Lima, Doyle, R.Gomes, Bellegarde, Forbs, Hwang.
Manchester United: Onana, Yoro, Maguire, Martinez, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot, Amad, Fernandes, Hojlund.
Subs: Bayindir, De Ligt, Evans, Eriksen, Casemiro, Collyer, Garnacho, Antony, Zirkzee.
Match facts
In both Premier League and English Football League history, United have won more games and scored more goals on Boxing Day than any other side, with 22 wins and 74 goals in the Premier League and 54 wins and 202 goals all time.
United have only failed to score in one of their last 30 Boxing Day league games, a 2-0 loss at Stoke City in 2015.
Amorim: “We need to win"
In his pre-match press conference, Ruben Amorim reiterated that United “need to win the next match. That’s the only thing”.
“It’s very good for the fans. We are privileged. So we can play on Boxing Day to give some happiness to the fans and we want to win another game.
He added that he “doesn’t want anything from the fans”, commenting that “it’s just from us”.
“I cannot say better things for the fans. I understand as a coach, I understand the moment, I understand the frustration, the disappointment. I understand and we will improve, it will take time.
“So it’s just from us, they need our help, not the other way around. They are doing everything right.”
On Rashford being left out recently, he added: “When I feel that it is the right moment to change something [I will], until then I will continue to think what is the best for the team.
“I speak to him every day but not about the interview, about the performance.”
Match facts
Wolves are unbeaten in their last seven Boxing Day league games (W5 D2), having lost 11 of their 14 such games before this (W1 D2).
They have conceded a league-high 16 goals from set-piece situations in the Premier League this season (excluding penalties), while Manchester United have shipped a league-high share 41% of their goals from such situations.
The last manager to win both of his first two top-flight games in charge of Wolves was Sammy Chung in August 1977.
Match facts
Having won three of their first five Premier League home games against Man Utd (L2), Wolves are now winless in their last five, losing the last four in a row (D1).
United have won seven of their last eight Premier League games against Wolves, with the exception being a 1-0 home defeat in January 2022.
It’s Ruben Amorim’s ‘responsibility’ - but what are Manchester United’s problems?
Ruben Amorim vowed to address Manchester United’s issues dealing with set-pieces and setbacks after nerves got the better of his side in Sunday’s 3-0 home humbling by high-flying Bournemouth.
A week after the memorable comeback derby win at rivals Manchester City, boos greeted the final whistle following a loss that left the Red Devils marooned in 13th place in the Premier League.
The head coach’s press conference was then briefly interrupted by a leak from the media-room ceiling.
It’s Ruben Amorim’s ‘responsibility’ - but what are Manchester United’s problems?
Head-to-head
These two sides have met 96 times in the past, with the first meeting dating back to 1892. Overall, United have won 47, Wolves have won 32, and 17 have ended as draws.
Last season, Kobbie Mainoo scored a late goal to secure a 4-3 win in this fixture, after United had beaten Wolves 1-0 in their opening match of the season in August.
How Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United start compares to his recent predecessors
Ruben Amorim has lost three of his first six Premier League games in charge of Manchester United after Sunday’s humbling against Bournemouth.
Here, the PA news agency compares his record to his recent predecessors at Old Trafford, from Sir Alex Ferguson to Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments