Wolves 1-4 Manchester United

Manchester United have shot themselves up into the top 6 with a dominant 4-1 win over Wolves at the Molineux. Bruno Fernandes put the Red Devils ahead but Jean-Ricner Bellegarde equalized on the stroke of half time. Goals in the second half from Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount and another from Bruno Fernandes however took the match well beyond the home side and ensured the 3 points for United.

Mattheus Cunha was up top for Manchester United in Amorim’s 3421 with Mason Mount and Bryan Mbeumo behind him as the double 10s. Wolves also used the 3421, Jorgen Strand Larsen was up top with Jhon Arias and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde behind him.

From minute 1, the match was an open, attacking affair, particularly defined by Manchester United’s cutting edge and Wolves’ inability to hold their shape under sustained pressure.

Manchester United started the match with high intensity, immediately carving out two major opportunities that were thwarted only by the Wolves goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone. In the 8th minute, Diogo Dalot was put through on goal by a wonderful early pass from Bruno Fernandes, but his curling effort was saved by Sam Johnstone. Two minutes later, in the 10th minute, United maintained the pressure from the resulting corner, and Bryan Mbeumo had a dangerous effort that was also stopped by Sam Johnstone.
The flow of the game was momentarily interrupted in the 11th minute when Noussair Mazraoui required medical attention.

The visitors’ early dominance finally yielded a goal in the 25th minute when Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring with a scrappy, sliding effort. The goal came after Wolves gifted possession to United, and Matheus Cunha assisted Fernandes, who managed to squeeze the shot past Johnstone despite slipping. United immediately pressed for a second, and in the 29th minute, a slick, flowing move almost brought success. Mbeumo’s strike was denied by Johnstone, and the follow-up from Matheus Cunha was brilliantly cleared off the line by Wolves captain Toti.

As the half neared its conclusion, Wolves found a brief moment of attacking momentum. In the 45th minute, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde tried his luck with a right-footed drive from the edge of the box, but it curled over the bar. However, Bellegarde made amends just moments later. In the 45th minute plus two minutes of stoppage time, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde equalized for Wolves with a goal sliding to spin David Moller Wolfe’s deep cross from the right into the bottom corner. The teams headed into the break level, with the Score: Wolves 1 – 1 Manchester United.

The second half began just as the first had: with a Manchester United chance. In the 48th minute, Matheus Cunha attempted a shot from the edge of the box, but it was hit with too much power and sailed over the crossbar.

However, the deadlock did not last long. In the 52nd minute, Bryan Mbeumo restored United’s lead with a goal. Cunha released Dalot on a break, and Dalot’s square pass found Mbeumo, who had the simplest task of tapping home into an empty net.

The goal was quickly followed by an enforced substitution for Wolves in the 54th minute as goalscorer Jean-Ricner Bellegarde picked up a knock and was substituted, with Fer Lopez coming on in his place.
Manchester United then put the match out of reach in the 62nd minute with the third goal scored by Mason Mount. Captain Bruno Fernandes delivered a sublime chipped pass over the defense, and Mount made a darting run to delicately place the ball into the net.

Following the third goal, both managers turned to their benches. In the 64th minute, United brought on Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martínez for Ayden Heaven and the earlier-injured Noussair Mazraoui. Wolves then made a triple change in the 72nd minute, with Tolu Arokodare, Hugo Bueno, and Mateus Mané coming on for Jorgen Strand Larsen, Jhon Arias, and Toti Gomes.

The final significant action came late in the game. In the 80th minute, VAR intervened for an on-field review after Amad Diallo’s shot was blocked by the arm of Yerson Mosquera inside the box, resulting in a Penalty Awarded. Yerson Mosquera was shown a Yellow Card for the handball in the 81st minute. Bruno Fernandes stepped up in the 82nd minute to convert the penalty low and clinically past Johnstone, scoring his second goal of the night and making the final score 1-4.

The match ended with a comprehensive victory for Manchester United, demonstrating their superiority in finishing, particularly in the second half, where the team’s attacking players proved too strong and too clinical for the Wolves defense.