ClapThe Monday Night Football showcase this week took place at Molineux, where Wolverhampton Wanderers went toe to toe with Manchester United. It’s the kind of game that tends to leave a lasting impact, especially with Wolves winning their last two against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.
As reported by BBC and The Guardian they weren’t able to make it three, but they certainly gave as good as they got with a tense 1-1 draw against the Red Devils.
The rise of the Wolves
In the first half it was quite clear to see that United were having the better of the ball, with Wolves being left to chase shadows most of the time. They looked dangerous on the counter attack but Ole’s side never really allowed them any major openings, and then around the midway point of the half, a lovely move from the visitors was finished off by Anthony Martial who gave United the lead.
The second half, however, felt completely different, with Adama Traore’s introduction certainly serving as the big gamechanger for the hosts. They had an injection of pace and life that we previously hadn’t seen, and they were able to exploit that in the form of the best goal of the Premier League season so far.
The ball was played out to the edge of the box where Ruben Neves was waiting to curl one beautifully into the top right hand corner of the net. A VAR check threatened to ruin the moment, but in the end, they were able to get the green light.
United had the best chance to win it all when Paul Pogba was brought down inside the box by Conor Coady, but instead of Marcus Rashford stepping up to take the resulting spot kick, Pogba himself gave it a go and saw his effort saved by Rui Patricio.
After a tense final few minutes, Wolves managed to come away with what could prove to be a crucial point as United were left feeling like it was two points dropped for them.
“I’m pleased with the performance. In the first half United controlled the game and pressed very high. In the second half the reaction was very good. I’m proud of all the performance.” said Nuno.
A fascinating encounter
“Adama Traore helped the team when he came on. He’s about that. The squad is about managing the options you have.
“When Neves lined up the shot for the equaliser I was hoping, not expecting. He has fantastic technique.”
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also had a few words to say.
“We dominated possession, we get the first goal and second half we know they’ll come out like a house on fire.
“They probably got the goal they deserve. I thought we took control again and could have won it.
“First half was a mature performance. Second half was a bit sloppy. We are improving. We are a young team who will learn, we learned on the pitch today.
“We get a penalty that normally would get us another two points, sometimes the keeper makes a good save.”
