Wolves 3-4 Man United: Kobbie Rises to the Occasion!

Published by CM22ENT on 1 February 20241 February 2024

In a week that has been filled with controversial conversations about off pitch antics, and ghastly managerial returns (potentially…), Manchester United travelled to Mollineaux, facing off against Gary O’Neil’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side who entered this encounter having gone seven games unbeaten in all competitions.

Manchester United’s last game against Newport County in the FA Cup didn’t bode confidence after throwing away an early 2-0 lead. All ended well however as the Red Devils booked another away date to Bristol City or fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest who were the last to beat Erik ten Hag’s team on December 30th.

If you have been privy to the news as alluded to in the initial paragraph, Marcus Rashford’s perfectly placed strike from outside of the area after 5 minutes provided the perfect response, and a much needed goal to settle the nerves all round. Case closed if you may.

The transition game defensively and offensively was always going to be an integral part of what could be a successful outing for United, who benefitted from that once again as Rasmus Højlund fortuitously deflected a low driven Luke Shaw cross into Jose Sa’s net, now making it 3 in 3 for the young Dane. Ravenous, and ready to silence a pack of wolves.

Our opponents didn’t offer much to the game up to this point. A vast contrast to what form suggests, and the only thing that stopped Manchester United from tripling their lead was an offside flag determined to prevent both Højlund and Casemiro from adding on to what had been a fine first period.

As they say, 2-0 is one of the most dangerous score lines in football, and with a tendency to be wasteful, as demonstrated in moments during the first and second half, one goal could’ve been enough to turn the tide. In fact if it wasn’t for a Lisandro Martinez goal line clearance from Max Kilman in the opening stages of the second period, another momentum shift may have well and truly been on the cards.

Then again, Wolverhampton definitely found their competitive streak, converting a one sided bout into a blow for blow affair. For every counter and chance created, Man Utd’s opponents wandered closer to seeing at least one strike cross the line. Whether the returning Andre Onana liked it or not.

With 20 minutes remaining in the matchup, Casemiro’s feather-like touch on the ankle of Pedro Neto granted Wolves and substitute Pablo Sarabia with a penalty kick that was confidently dispatched. Game on, at least before the return of a certain McTerminator, who was subbed on for the Brazilian, and soon after headed home a corner kick, restoring his side’s two goal cushion, and once more deflating the tyres of a rowdy home crowd. For the time being at least…

Max Kilman with five minutes remaining wasn’t to be denied for a second time as he bundled the ball past Onana after an acrobatic attempt by Craig Dawson. No game can be simple at all with the 20 time league champions involved… We can all emphasise that previous sentence some more after witnessing Pedro Neto slickly outsmarting Manchester United’s defence and goalkeeper at the same time to confirm what once again was a second half capitulation.

Surely there wasn’t another twist in this chaotic second half? With both teams honing in on their run and gun style, it was the kid with the coldest demeanour to have the final say. Kobbie Mainoo scored his first League goal in the seventh minute of added time, picking up the ball before gliding past multiple defenders in yellow, while summoning quality to wrap his right boot around the circular circumference to beat a deflated Jose Sa for one final time. He celebrated in style, while Wolves fell to the sound of a fourth goal nestling into their helpless net.

Now, this final result delivers three more crucial points for Erik ten Hag, but it was far from perfect. A second half that spiralled out of control was just another example of this teams mental and physical fragilities as a collective when needing to micromanage the tempo of games they’re well in control of. Not being able to tame our counterparts tonight presented issues that almost wiped away the first half smiles of United’s travelling away crowd, including the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill. Plenty to improve upon for Sunday when at 14:00 (UK), Manchester United will face off against West Ham.

How did you assess the game and each team’s performance? Have your say in the comment section, and feel free to follow my accounts on X, TikTok, and YouTube where I’ll be providing extra Man Utd content and updates.