Good evening everyone and welcome along to our minute-by-minute coverage of today’s Premier League clash between Wolves and Manchester United.
It’s a repeat of last month’s FA Cup quarter-final at Molineux, where Wolves ran out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Raul Jimenez and Diego Jota in an altogether excellent performance.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men also fell to Arsenal six days before their FA Cup exit, but bounced back on Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford, seeing off Watford 2-1 courtesy of goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
It wasn’t an entirely convincing performance against Watford in what was Solskjaer’s first game since being made permanent manager. But it was nevertheless an important three points in his side’s quest to finish in the top four.
That objective continues at Molineux tonight. Wolves, as they have done all season, represent a tricky hurdle to overcome with Nuno Espírito Santo’s side having European ambitions of their own.
They are currently two places off a Europa League spot, but are a wounded animal after succumbing to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Burnley on Saturday.
If this pair’s FA Cup quarter-final a fortnight ago is anything to go by, this ought to be a decent evening’s worth of football.
Kick-off is coming up in just over an hour’s time at 7.45pm, with today’s game live on Sky Sports Main Event if you’re in the vicinity of a TV.
Let’s get started with the team news…
Here's how Wolves line-up for tonight's @premierleague fixture against @ManUtd. #WOLMUN
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 2, 2019
🐺📋 pic.twitter.com/qPBuGHvtz3
TEAM NEWS: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes a total of six changes from the side which beat Watford 2-1 on Saturday, with Marcus Rashford the biggest absence through a late illness.
Victor Lindelof replaces Phil Jones in the centre of defence, while Fred and Scott McTominay come in for Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera in midfield.
It’s a completely new front line for United, with Diogo Dalot, Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku replacing Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and the aforementioned Rashford.
Nuno Espírito Santo makes four changes from his side’s 2-0 defeat at Turf Moor.
Adama Traore, Jonny, Ivan Cavaleiro and Romain Saiss all drop out, with Ireland defender Matt Doherty, Ruben Vinagre, Raul Jimenez and Ryan Bennett stepping up to take their places.
Wolves: Rui Patricio, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Moutinho, Vinagre, Jimenez, Jota.
Substitutes: Cavaleiro, Costa, Gibbs-White, Jonny, Ruddy, Saiss, Traore.
Man United: De Gea, Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Pogba, Dalot, Lukaku, Lingard.
Substitutes: Jones, Mata, Martial, Andreas Pereira, Rojo, Romero, Matic.
💬 @mattdoherty20 speaks ahead of #WOLMUN
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 2, 2019
🐺🔴 pic.twitter.com/8VcbTq8C11
Half an hour before we get underway at Molineux. How do you see this evening’s game panning out? Let us know below.
Poll Results:
Some pre-game reading material:
- Solskjaer convinced Pogba happy at Man United despite Real Madrid links
- TV Wrap: Ignore those who say Carragher’s wild reaction to Liverpool’s latest drama was unprofessional
- Solskjaer defends Man United tactics after Van Gaal jibe
- ‘That’s the beauty of Paul’ – Solskjaer wants influential Pogba amid Madrid links
- Solskjaer relieved to avoid Watford ‘banana skin’ with first win as permanent Man United boss
KICK-OFF: We’re underway at Molineux for the first half!
A chance straight from tip-off for Manchester United. Jesse Lingard goes on a long, mazy run right through the heart of the Wolves midfield before offloading a weak effort on the edge of the box. It peters harmlessly wide, but his direct running definitely caught the hosts off guard there.
Nuno’s men enjoying a decent spell of possession now. Fred, Pogba and McTominay struggling to get near Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho spitting the ball left and right with long threaded passes. Wolves definitely making use of the full width of the pitch.
Close! Romelu Lukaku comes within inches of breaking the deadlock within five minutes. Diogo Dalot delivers a pinpoint cross into the box and the Belgian striker thumps a powerful header on goal. It looks destined to fly into the back of the net, but Rui Patricio produces a fine stop by getting a strong hand to the ball. Excellent stop.
That was an early scare for Wolves there. You really have to give Patricio a huge amount of credit for that stop though. He seemed to be diving in the wrong direction but recovered excellently to claw Lukaku’s header off the line.
An even opening spell in this game. United now seeing a good bit of the ball, Smalling and Jones pushing up high and calling play by stringing passes left and right. Two very confident sides on display, with Wolves already forcing a almost every single top six side to drop points so far this season. A real stickler.
Raul Jimenez pushes up high on Chris Smalling. The ball is bouncing at an awkward height for the defender to deal to deal with and Jimenez senses blood by putting him under pressure. Smalling keeps his cool, though, and finds a team-mate with a pass.
GOAL! WOLVES 0-1 MAN UNITED (MCTOMINAY 13)
Manchester United draw first blood after 13 minutes. Scott McTominay takes possession outside the box and slams a pinpoint effort low along the ground all the way into Patricio’s bottom corner. A brilliant finish from the young Scot.
The travelling supporters are in fine voice now. It’s the perfect start early on in this game, a goal which will force Wolves to come forward and leave gaps at the back. United haven’t lost a game under Solskjaer where they have taken the lead this season.
Close yet again and the chances are coming thick and fast for Solskjaer’s men now. A header from Jesse Lingard aimed at the top corner produces a super reaction save from Rui Patricio. Wolves being seriously pinned back.
The ball spills to the edge of the box after Patricio’s save, but both Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay try and have a swing at it, only to end up bundling into one another Laurel & Hardy style. Comical stuff.
Man United are flying it now, with both Luke Shaw and Ashley Young more than happy to bomb forward down the flanks to support Dalot and Lingard down the wings. Wolves just about hanging in there amid this early spell of pressure.
Oooooof very close for Wolves, who have come alive now. A Wily Boly pass across goal finds Raul Jimenez completely free towards the back post. He fires a free shot towards goal, but is has just too much power and flies over David de Gea’s crossbar.
GOAL! WOLVES 1-1 MAN UNITED (JOTA 25)
We’re all square! A steady period of Wolves pressure pays dividends as Diego Jota finds the equaliser. A clever pass inside the box from Raul Jimenez finds the Portugal striker on his own with only De Gea to beat, and Jota blasts a pinpoint effort over the goalkeeper flying emphatically into the back of the net. A fine finish and it’s 1-1.
What a start to this game. It’s an electric atmosphere inside Molineux and a fiery, end-to-end affair on the field of play. Two chances come in quick succession for Wolves. Firstly a curled effort from outside the box from Neves which flies over and soon afterwards a close-range strike from Leander Dendoncker which also goes over the crossbar.
United come in search of their second. Paul Pogba tries to pick out a hole in the Wolves defence but is dispossessed by Diogo Jota after stalling too long with the ball at his feet. The French midfielder has been a frustrated presence inside the opening half an hour.
Wolves concede a free in a dangerous position. Goalscorer McTominay holds the ball up excellently and draws the foul from Ryan Bennett outside the box. Ashley Young swings a cross into the area, but it’s easily beaten away at the first hurdle thanks to Conor Coady’s headed clearance.
A snappy counter results comes from Coady’s header. Diego Jota barrels down through the middle of the park and Luke Shaw sees no option but to haul the striker down cynically. The left back picks up a yellow card from Mike Dean for his troubles and will now serve a two-game suspension.
Close chance for Dubliner Matt Doherty. A cross aimed towards the back post sees him peel away completely unmarked, but he fails to hit the target. Doherty has six goals in all competitions already this season and is a serious threat going forward as we all know.
Save! A superb stop from David de Gea keeps Man United level pegging as the interval approaches. A scramble inside the box sees the ball spill invitingly to Ruben Neves. He strikes a powerful effort from distance which looks like rifling right into the roof of the net, but De Gea back-peddles onto his goal-line and catches with precision.
There will be one minute of stoppage time to come at the end of the first half.
Nearly there for United in stoppage time. Pogba finds Lukaku inside the box, with Matt Doherty playing the striker onside. Lukaku bangs his shot towards the opposite corner, but it flies just wide of Patricio’s post.
HALF-TIME: WOLVES 1-1 MAN UNITED
An enjoyable opening half with nothing to separate the sides so far. Scott McTominay broke the deadlock with a fine low effort which zipped off the surface and into Rui Patricio’s bottom corner. Diego Jota levelled 12 minutes later, firing a fine effort past David de Gea after a neat through ball from Raul Jimenez. We seem to be having one or two technical difficulties in terms of push notifications for goals tonight. Apologies for that folks, but we are on the matter as we speak. More to come shortly!
It's still all to play for...#PL pic.twitter.com/nXKLcxzK03
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 2, 2019
SECOND-HALF: We’re back underway for another 45 minutes.
An early free-kick for United is swung in by Paul Pogba. It’s a poor cross, though, and hits the wall before being hooked clear down the other end of the pitch. Solskjaer’s men taking hold of proceedings here looking to regain the lead.
Nuno’s men are really being pinned back inside their own half so far in the second half. Lindelof and Smalling have pushed up quite a bit with a high defensive line, with Pogba, McTominay and Fred dictating play in the middle of the park. Slow, steady build-up play.
A neat one-two between Jota and Jimenez almost yields a goal. Smalling and Lindelof are at sixes and sevens back-peddling against the counter-attack, but Jota just can’t get his head onto the final pass to try and knock an effort on target to test De Gea. A good break but no end product.
Close! Scott McTominay comes agonisingly close to nabbing his second of the night. The midfielder is having a brilliant performance so far, this time around firing a low header towards the bottom corner from a Romelu Lukaku cross. Rui Patricio scrambles down to meet the header and succeeds in clawing it away with a timely save.
RED CARD! ASHLEY YOUNG IS SENT OFF FOR MAN UNITED
Out of no-where Manchester United are down to ten men. Ashley Young receives a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Diogo Jota. The defender was sliding down to try and intercept a loose pass from Scott McTominay, but only succeeded in colliding with the lower leg of Jota. Mike Dean gives Young his marching orders.
A hairy moment for United straight away after Young’s dismissal. David de Gea almost picks up a back pass from Victor Lindelof, before the Spaniard slides down on the ground avoiding the ball with his arms at the last second. The ball spills out to Raul Jimenez as De Gea scrambles back to his goal-line, but the Wolves’ forward’s cross is easily beaten away.
The home supporters are in fine voice now and Wolves are seriously buoyed by Young’s sending off. It really did seem to come from no-where with the game finely balanced between the sides. Now, however, Jota and Jimenez are driving forward every single time sensing three points are up for grabs. United look like a wounded animal at the moment hanging in there.
Substitution for Man United: Phil Jones replaces Fred.
Solskjaer send on Phil Jones in place of Fred to try and regain some defensive stability for the final 25 minutes here. It’s now a back three now for Man United featuring Jones, Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof.
A corner is won by Diogo Dalot down the right. The cross is spilled out to Phil Jones, but his shot is blocked down by Leander Dendoncker. There’s a bit more stability about United now. They are refusing to sit back despite being a man down, knowing they can’t really afford to drop two points if they are to secure a top four finish.
There are calls for a Wolves penalty from the home supporters as Jota goes down inside the box under the challenge of Diogo Dalot. Upon second viewing it does seem like Jota simply ran into the front of Dalot there. Mike Dean is having none of it and waves play on.
Fifteen minutes left on the clock and it’s still finely balanced. United haven’t really been playing as though a man down and are still pushing men forward in search of a second. Romelu Lukaku has been an isolated presence in this second half though, struggling to get on the ball in the final third.
Double substitution for Wolves: Ivan Cavaleiro replaces Diogo Jota & Jonny Castro replaces Ruben Vinagre.
GOAL! WOLVES 2-1 MAN UNITED (SMALLING OWN GOAL 77)
Wolves take the lead with 13 minutes left to go, the drama! A proper scramble inside the box sees Raul Jimenez get a loose toe to Joao Moutinho’s cross and Chris Smalling has the unfortunate touch to bundle the ball past David de Gea and into his own net.
It’s a serious uphill battle for Solskjaer’s men now in these final ten minutes plus injury time. A man down and a goal down knowing that if things stay as they are, United will remain in fifth place behind Tottenham with a game extra played.
Lingard and second half introduction Anthony Martial are pulling wide and calling for the ball at every given opportunity. It’s a right scramble out there at the moment, with Wolves remaining resolute and compact at the back led confidently by Coady and Boly.
Nuno’s men back with the ball at their feet. Jonny is full of energy arriving off the bench and surges forward down the left wing looking for an opening to put this game to bed beyond reasonable doubt. A goal ahead, Wolves aren’t content and want another late on here.
Pogba sees time and space open up after playing a neat one-two with Martial on the edge of the area, but the midfielder’s right-footed effort drags well wide of the target. The shot draws a jubilant, sarcastic cheer from the home fans.
Save! David De Gea saves Chris Smalling’s blushes with a last-ditch save. It was almost two own goals in succession for the United centre back as he bundled the ball towards his bottom corner, but De Gea does really well to get down low and put the ball wide for a corner.
There will be five minutes of stoppage time to come at the end of the second half.
Holy moly, it’s almost another own goal for United and this is getting a bit ridiculous now. Victor Lindelof plays a back-pass towards De Gea, but it has just a little bit too much power in it. The Spaniard takes a step back and punts the ball up the other end of the pitch to save the Swede’s blushes.
Off the bar! Ivan Cavaleiro almost puts the game to bed deep into injury time. He outmuscles Lindelof off the ball with brilliant strength inside the box, but his shot smacks the woodwork and away.
FULL-TIME: WOLVES 2-1 MAN UNITED
It’s all over! Wolves have beaten Manchester United at Molineux for the second time in as many months. Nuno Espírito Santo’s men dumped tonight’s opponents out of the FA Cup a fortnight ago and have inflicted a big blow again tonight as United try and secure a top four finish.
It’s United’s third defeat in four games, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men staying in fifth place behind Tottenham with a game extra played. Thanks a million for joining us tonight — you can read our full match report here. Until next time, cya!
FULL-TIME Wolves 2-1 Man Utd
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 2, 2019
Diogo Jota and a Chris Smalling own goal secure an impressive comeback victory for Wolves against the 10 men of Man Utd #WOLMUN pic.twitter.com/Lj5V4ryukA
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