Manchester United climbed into sixth place after brushing aside a fading Wolves side in a 4-1 win at Molineux, a result that underlined the growing gap between the clubs and left the home crowd further deflated.
Early protests and a flat Wolves start
Thousands of Wolves fans entered late as part of a protest against the ownership, but those who trickled in during the opening minutes did not miss much. Wolves looked short on confidence, and United picked them apart with little resistance. Diogo Dalot scuffed a one-on-one and Sam Johnstone denied Bryan Mbeumo, but the pressure kept building.
United eventually found their opener when Casemiro dispossessed Andre inside the final third. The loose ball rolled to Bruno Fernandes, who stumbled, regained his balance and managed to squeeze a low finish past Johnstone.
That should have settled United, but Ruben Amorim’s side drifted off, allowing Wolves to work their way back into the contest. Ki-Jana Hoever’s delivery found David Moller Wolfe, whose cushioned pass set up Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to drill home. It was Wolves’ first goal under Rob Edwards, arriving in his fourth match in charge.
United take command after the break
Any momentum Wolves found evaporated shortly after half-time. Dalot sped down the left and squared the ball for Mbeumo, who calmly guided it in for his first goal in a month.
From there, United’s confidence grew. Fernandes produced a clever clipped pass that sent Mason Mount clear for the third, before VAR spotted a handball by Yerson Mosquera. Fernandes stepped up and smashed in the resulting penalty to cap a standout display.
Wolves, now 13 points from safety, never looked like rescuing the situation. December is barely underway, yet their survival hopes already look bleak.
Fernandes leads the way
Fernandes’ influence stretched far beyond his two goals. James Maddison, analysing the match on Monday Night Football, said the Portuguese midfielder “sees it all”, praising his consistency and eye for a decisive pass. The numbers back it up: Fernandes now has 15 goal involvements in his last 14 league matches against teams who begin the day in the relegation zone.
Mount also welcomed United’s attacking rhythm, calling the forward play “crisp” and noting how much more fluid the team felt in the final third.
Amorim, meanwhile, pointed to the volume of chances created as a sign of progress, insisting United’s attacking output has grown compared with last season.
Edwards accepts fan frustration
For Edwards, the picture is far more troubling. The Wolves boss said he understood why fans were angry, acknowledging the long run without a win and the team’s lack of competitiveness.
“I can only look after the team and try to rebuild confidence,” he said. “That’s all I can control.”
Jamie Carragher was more blunt, telling viewers he believes Wolves are heading for relegation unless something drastic changes. “It’s just a matter of how much of a fight they put up,” he said.
United, now enjoying back-to-back away wins in the league for the first time this season, still have unanswered questions of their own. But on a night when Wolves unravelled, they looked sharper, hungrier and far more assured than at any stage earlier in the campaign.
