Premier League: Wolves 2 (Cunha 58, Hwang 90+9) Manchester United 0
It was impossible to ignore the shift in mood, the supporters singing the name of their charismatic Portuguese head coach, parachuted in to solve a myriad issues but chiefly the miserable results and the leaky defence. Determined to immerse himself in the local culture, he and his staff spent Christmas Day enjoying a traditional lunch at a local pub a few miles out of town. Then there is the friction between those who pay their money in the stands and those who spend it in the boardroom. It has been an unhappy picture for a while, the players presumably thinking of an appropriate escape route. The problem for Rúben Amorim is that Vítor Pereira was the manager who triumphed here.
For Manchester United, it is now four defeats in their past five matches. United, who drop a place to 14th, are eight points above the relegation zone, 11 from the top four, which is badly fading from view, having taken seven points from a possible 21 since Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag. Matheus Cunha – just where would Wolves be without him? – scored the first goal, direct from a corner, and squared the ball eight minutes into stoppage time to allow the substitute Hwang Hee-chan a simple finish. For Pereira, it has been a flawless start, two wins from two and the worst defence in the division has been bolted secure. At least for now. At the same time, a gutless United never looked like scoring.
If the first half broadly descended into a period of nothingness in thickening fog, then the second was the polar opposite. It was only 85 seconds old when Bruno Fernandes was penalised for a poor challenge on his Portugal team-mate Nelson Semedo, catching the Wolves captain on the top of his ankle, and the referee, Tony Harrington, was quick to pull out a second yellow card. Fernandes had been cautioned in the first half for tripping Cunha, the best – and arguably the most gifted – player on the pitch, a captivating forward capable of the extraordinary. Exhibit A here was the moment, 15 minutes into this contest, when he controlled José Sá's awkward lobbed pass towards the left flank with an exquisite back-heel and then played a one-two with the typically tigerish João Gomes, luring Noussair Mazraoui into a crude takedown to halt his progress.
Barely a minute after Fernandes removed the captain’s armband from his biceps and trudged off the pitch, Jørgen Strand Larsen headed in a Semedo cross but the goal was disallowed. Then came a lengthy video assistant referee check, which deemed the Norway striker offside.
Cunha was determined to enjoy himself despite the extra attention and his inswinging corner caught André Onana, under pressure from Matt Doherty, floundering in the fog, the Brazilian’s wicked ball hanging under the crossbar and nestling in at the far post. Onana hoped the referee would bail him out but the very claim spoke volumes of United’s insipid performance. By the end the sight of Harry Maguire attempting to reach a hopeful long ball into the box had echoes of the recent past.
United lacked any rhythm from the moment Leny Yoro, promoted to the starting line-up to make his second league start for the club, was booked for clipping Cunha four minutes in. Yoro was among those withdrawn just after the hour as Amorim made a triple change, with Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Antony those introduced. Then came Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee. Marcus Rashford? He was not included for the fourth successive match. – Guardian
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