Manchester United moved up to sixth in the Premier League table with a dominant 4-1 win over bottom-club Wolves at Molineux.
Although Bruno Fernandes’ opener was cancelled out by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde before the break, second-half goals from Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount and a Fernandes penalty took the game away from a hapless Wolves to better reflect United’s superiority.
Rob Edwards remains without a point from his four games in charge, with Wolves remaining 13 points from safety, adrift at the foot of the table. Ruben Amorim’s team are into the top six after back-to-back Premier League away wins for the first time.
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Bruno Fernandes opens the scoring for Man Utd at Wolves in the Premier League
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Bryan Mbuemo makes it two for Manchester United against Wolves
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Bruno Fernandes picks out Mason Mount who perfectly volley’s home a third
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Bruno Fernandes made it 4-1 to Man Utd from the penalty spot
Many Wolves supporters missed the first 15 minutes of the match as they protested about the club’s ownership, although they did not miss much from a Wolves side who looked bereft of quality and confidence early on, United cutting through with ease.
Diogo Dalot wasted a one-on-one, while Sam Johnstone also saved from Mbeumo before Casemiro robbed a dallying Andre and the ball was worked to Fernandes who had time to slip over and still get to his feet to sneak the ball past the goalkeeper.
Toti Gomes had to clear off the line from Matheus Cunha, returning to face his former club, and at that stage Wolves looked there for the taking. But as has often been the case under Amorim, United surrendered the initiative, allowing the bottom club back in.
The home side sensed it, Ki-Jana Hoever’s cross finding David Moller Wolfe who put the ball back into the box for Bellegarde, Wolves’ best player before going off injured, to force home smartly. The first goal of Edwards’ reign coming in his fourth game in charge.
But more hapless defending from Wolves allowed United to restore their lead early in the second half, Dalot again racing through down the left channel before squaring for Mbeumo to slot into the net with Johnstone stranded for his first goal in exactly a month.
A moment of quality from Fernandes saw him dink the ball into the path of Mount for the third goal before Yerson Mosquera was adjudged to have handballed in the area, allowing Fernandes to smash in his second from the spot. Wolves were well beaten.
Their fate appears sealed already even in December.
What lies ahead for Amorim’s United this season remains a mystery.
Player of the match: Bruno Fernandes
Fellow playmaker James Maddison praised Fernandes in the Monday Night Football studio. “Bruno Fernandes is underrated for the consistency he shows regularly,” said the Tottenham player. “Every time he is on the ball, he can just see it all.”
Fernandes showed that with his assist for Mount’s goal. He punished Wolves and now has 15 goal involvements in his last 14 Premier League games for Manchester United against sides starting the day in the relegation zone – six goals and nine assists.
Mount: We know that we can do that
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Mason Mount joins the Monday Night Football studio as he talks through his goal as he helped Manchester United to a 4-1 win over Wolves at Molineux.
Manchester United’s Mason Mount speaking to Sky Sports:
“I thought some of the combinations going forward were crisp, were sharp and that’s what we can do.
“We know we can do that. It’s about us creating as many chances as we can as forward players and trying to get on the scoresheet. I thought going forward we were solid, and as a defence it’s about defending as a team and not letting them have any chances to get back into the game.”
Amorim: We are creating more
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Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said he believes they are creating more chances compared to last season as they walk away from Molineux with three points.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim speaking to Sky Sports:
“We scored four but had a lot of shots. I cannot make that connection with being more clinical. We improved a lot.
“If you compare last season and this season, we are creating so much more chances and scoring more goals and having more real situations of danger. I am really pleased with that.”
Edwards: I understand fan anger
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Wolves head coach Rob Edwards says he believes they gifted Manchester United their first three goals.
Wolves head coach Rob Edwards speaking to Sky Sports:
“I get the anger and the frustration completely. They haven’t seen their side win in ages.
“If I was a supporter I’d be angry myself because we all want to see our team competing, and at the moment, we aren’t doing that.
“I can’t control that [about whether the protests will continue]. I can only look after the team and try to help build some confidence and belief.
“They are the only things I can concentrate on.”
Carragher: Wolves are going down
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher speaking on Monday Night Football:
“I think Wolves are going down. I thought they would do at the start of the season but I thought they’d be a lot more competitive than this. They’ve made a managerial change as well and it hasn’t had the desired effect.
“They were maybe green shoots against Aston Villa where they had a really good performance. I thought if they replicated that they could give Man Utd a game but when you see some of the defending against an average Man Utd team. Wolves are going down – it’s just how much of a fight they put up between now and the end of the season.”
