The Red Devils moved just two points adrift of league leaders Liverpool FC with a 1-0 win over Wolves at Old Trafford as Marcus Rashford’s stoppage-time winner secured a vital victory for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
MATCH PROCEEDINGS
A much-changed XI at hand for the hosts, United were thrown on the back foot in the opening minutes of the game as the Midlands-based visitors sought to take the lead early on.
David de Gea was called into action thrice within a span of a few minutes, with the Spanish shot-stopper having to parry away strikes from Pedro Neto, Vitinha and Ruben Neves before Wolves centre-back Romain Saiss’s effort on goal crashed against the crossbar.
However, the in-form Bruno Fernandes nearly found the back of the net with an ambitious shot which had to be saved at point-blank range from the visitors’ No.1 Rui Patricio.
The closing 45 minutes were much more positive for the hosts, largely due to the players brought on the pitch by Solskjaer in the form of Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial.
Edinson Cavani’s effort near the 70th-minute mark was deemed to be an offside following a VAR check, and Paul Pogba came close to troubling Rui Patricio with a long-range driving strike.
However, United’s hard work over the course of the Old Trafford showdown reaped a big reward when Marcus Rashford’s shot deflected off Romain Saiss to bundle past Patricio into the back of the net, giving the Red Devils a well-earned win to end the year.
