decidedly mixed bag. Though never reaching the depths of visits to Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this
year, it was another frustrating night at Molineux for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The league and cup defeats here in spring were two of the poorest displays of Solskjaer’s reign to date, but
on this third visit, United’s first-half performance was encouraging. Anthony Martial’s excellent finish
established a one-goal lead at the break, but United’s all-round composure and control of proceedings was
just as impressive.
That composure and control deserted them after the break: firstly, when Ruben Neves equalised with the
type of speculative attempt from range which he has trademarked; secondly, when Paul Pogba missed a
penalty for the fourth time since the start of last season.
Solskjaer named United’s youngest Premier League line-up in nearly two-and-a-half years, trusting Daniel
James enough to make his first start. Molineux soon made him their villain for the evening, booing him for a
perceived dive early doors. James was later booked for another piece of simulation, much to the home
crowd’s delight.
They would not be laughing for long. Mere minutes later, United converted their dominance of the ball into
their first attempt of the evening and an opening goal. It was a move of careful, precise penetration, with
possession switched between several players on the left until Marcus Rashford slipped Martial through.
Martial still had much to do from a tight angle that Willy Boly’s presence was only narrowing further, but
his sublime, lofted finish made it seem simple. Martial is Solskjaer’s preferred option in United’s central
lone striker role and here, he demonstrated why. It was his 50th United goal, nearly four years to the day he
joined the club.
Wolves’ organisation and defensive structure is their greatest asset but, having seen less than a third of the
ball, it was arguably inhibiting them. Nuno introduced dribbling specialist Adama Traore at the interval and
the hosts re-emerged with more ambition. An equaliser quickly followed.
Ruben Neves celebrate equalising against
United (AFP/Getty)Moments after Raul Jimenez had turned a header against the upright, a Wolves corner broke to Neves on
the edge of the area. The player who took more shots from range than any other last season was always
going to follow Molineux’s command to shoot. The woodwork helped this time, as Neves bounced the ball
in off the crossbar.
VAR briefly threatened to cut the celebrations short. A chunk of Joao Moutinho’s shoulder may have
strayed ahead of the ball in the build-up, according to a less-than-perfect camera angle. By the time the
officials had decided the goal would stand, the chants of “f*** VAR” were already in full flow.