Wolverhampton, Dec 9: Manchester United endured a nervous evening at Molineux but eventually found their rhythm to clinch a 4-1 win over bottom-placed Wolves, a result that lifted Erik ten Hag’s side to sixth in the Premier League table and deepened the crisis engulfing the home club.
The night began against a backdrop of unrest. A large section of Wolves supporters delayed their entry for 15 minutes in protest against the club’s Chinese owners, Fosun, leaving the South Bank conspicuously sparse at kick-off. The anger simmered through the evening, fuelled by Wolves’ ongoing slump and the belief among fans that the club has been drifting backwards for years.
Yet despite their malaise, Wolves delivered an early surprise. After a 540-minute drought, they finally found the net when Jean-Ricner Bellegarde reacted sharply to guide home a loose ball following David Moller Wolfe’s scuffed shot. It was a rare moment of joy for the home crowd, and it punished United for wasting a string of clear openings — including an oddly comical miss from Bruno Fernandes as Wolves keeper Dan Bentley dithered and gifted possession deep inside his own area.
United’s response, though, arrived with force. Early in the second half, Luke Shaw clattered into Bellegarde with a perfectly timed tackle, sparking a counter-attack that sliced Wolves open. Diogo Dalot raced forward and squared the ball for Bryan Mbeumo, who tapped into an empty net to restore parity. The goal settled United and turned the match decisively in their favour.
Their confidence surged minutes later. Fernandes floated a delicate chip into the box, and Mason Mount — with a single touch of brilliance — brought the ball under control before burying a crisp finish into the far corner. It was the first time since March that United had held a two-goal cushion away from home in the league, a statistic that underlined how shaky their season has been.
As Wolves’ resistance faded, United stretched the lead further. After a VAR review penalised Yerson Mosquera for handball, Fernandes calmly converted from the spot in the 82nd minute, sealing United’s biggest league win of the campaign and sparking celebrations among the travelling supporters — including world darts champion Luke Littler, a lifelong fan who watched from the stands.
The victory also brought relief to head coach Ruben Amorim, who had endured an uncomfortable build-up to the second half. Ahead of the restart, he sat momentarily alone in the dugout while, elsewhere, a photo circulated online of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe animatedly making a point to director of football Jason Wilcox, with chief executive Omar Berrada wedged between them. It was an image that hinted at pressure behind the scenes had United failed to make their dominance count.
They certainly created enough chances. United ended the match with 27 attempts, 10 of them on target, and were denied repeatedly by goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who thwarted Dalot and Mbeumo on multiple occasions. Matheus Cunha thought he had scored when he pounced on a rebound, only for Toti to sweep the ball off the line. Even Fernandes nearly fluffed a golden chance after slipping inside the box before recovering just in time.
If United left Molineux with encouragement, Wolves plunged deeper into despair. The defeat — their eighth in a row — equals a club record set in the 1981-82 season. Their position at the foot of the table, with only two points and 13 adrift of safety, paints a grim picture of a once-ambitious club now staring relegation squarely in the face.
The tension spilled over as fans resumed chanting for chairman Jeff Shi to resign. A “Shi Out” banner unfurled in the South Bank summed up the mood of supporters who feel the club has endured a managed decline: from reaching the Europa League quarter-finals five years ago to selling key players and failing to adequately strengthen the squad. Wolves’ decision to allow Cunha to join Manchester United only sharpened the sense of frustration.
Rob Edwards’ side did show effort — they had moments of fight, particularly in recent matches — but the quality continues to fall well short. With a daunting trip to leaders Arsenal up next, few would wager on Wolves preventing this losing streak from becoming an unwanted piece of history.
By full-time, the contrast was stark: United buoyant and climbing, Wolves broken and drifting. Molineux voiced its displeasure loudly, and unless something changes quickly, the final months of the season may be defined not by survival hopes but by how Wolves handle an increasingly inevitable fall. (Agencies)
