Manchester United was defeated 1-0 by the Wolves at Old Trafford in a dismal and disorganized performance.
Phil Jones was set to start for the first time in 707 days. The crowd erupted in applause when he cleared it in the first minute. Wolves looked the more nimble in the first five minutes, putting pressure on United’s defence.
Mason Greenwood started United’s opening attack with a brilliantly weighted pass through to Sancho, who launched the counter-attack. He had Ronaldo to his left, but he elected to take the shot alone, which was a bad option because Wolves blocked it brilliantly.
4 – Manchester United have failed to score in four different Premier League home games this season, already more than they did in the whole of 2020-21 (3). Misfiring. #MUNWOL pic.twitter.com/Sa1mgs8zso
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 3, 2022
Wolves, on the other hand, came pounding at the door, forcing de Gea to make a handful of saves. Ruben Neves hit a powerful drive from outside the box that was destined for the top corner but was miraculously saved by the Spaniard.
Wolves had four corners in the first fifteen minutes, dominating the game and forcing the Reds to withdraw. United seemed to be on the verge of being penalized every time Matic and McTominay were caught in possession.
United started to get into the game about the half-hour mark, with a decent stretch of possession and some good runs forward.
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At halftime, the score was even, but United appeared to come out fighting in the second half. The foul came from McTominay, who gave away a free-kick, earning him a booking and ruling him out of the next league game.
Luke Shaw was also given a yellow card and will be suspended for the next league game. Greenwood was taken off around the 60-minute mark to make room for Bruno Fernandes, which surprised Old Trafford’s home fans because he hadn’t had a horrible game like others.
United came alive out of nowhere when Sancho’s throw-in found Matic, who found space and put it into the middle, where Fernandes was waiting, but he blasted it over the crossbar.
Jones has pulled down shortly after, earning a free kick in a decent area. It was delivered by Fernandes and found Ronaldo’s head, who buried it into the net, but it was called offside.
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United had another chance when Fernandes produced a lovely ball to Ronaldo, but the angle was tight and he was unable to hit on target. The Reds were having a terrific run, having been re-energized by the introduction of Fernandes, but could they capitalize on their good fortune?
However, it was Wolves’ turn to go on the attack, and Matic, sensing the danger, committed a tactical foul, earning him a yellow card. The free-kick was good, but De Gea kept his eyes on it the entire time, and when he got his angles correct, he saw it wobble the crossbar.
In the 81st minute, the Wolves made the breakthrough when Moutinho scored a superb goal into the bottom corner. United’s time was running out as they showed no real desire to progress.
United’s only chance came from a late free-kick in injury time when Bruno Fernandes unleashed a rocket that was excellently stopped by the Wolves goalkeeper. That was it, the game’s final kick.
United bemoaned the little chances they had, and a slew of individual blunders contributed to the Reds’ setback – not a good way to start the New Year.
