United were on the road again yesterday, and in the hunt for a much needed response to the draw against Southampton in order to head into the first international break of the season on the front foot. Having equalled Arsenal's record of 27 matches at St Mary's, a win at Molineux would see United break the record for the longest unbeaten Premier League away run.
The trip to the Midlands saw maiden starts for Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho - the former making his United debut. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reverted to the use of only one established defensive midfielder in the side, with Paul Pogba shifted centrally alongside Fred. The attacking system was intended to function with fluidity, with Sancho starting on the left but able to interchange with Dan James on the opposite flank. Mason Greenwood was deployed centrally once more.
The earliest teaching of the match was the level of threat offered by Adama Traore with his sheer power when running, with Wolves displaying the vast danger they pose when attacking from the off. Two great opportunities came early on for Wolves from Fred's liability alone anchoring the midfield, with the Brazilian essentially mugged by Francisco Trincao second time around after ceding possession cheaply. The Barcelona loanee beat David de Gea after being allowed clean through, though the spectacular Aaron Wan-Bissaka defied possibility to retreat and block the effort.
The hosts remained on top for a sustained period actually, with United making error upon error to ensure the flow couldn't change in their favour. There was clear frailty within the visiting eleven, with a lack of presence and urgency meaning the game opened up considerably. The reds - sporting the new retro-inspired away kit for the first time - couldn't string together any spells of prolonged possession due to their lack of quality, and therefore found creating chances rather difficult. Wolves terrorised their opposition in phases, obliterating a shambolic and disorganised United approach at times. Fortunately for the travelling contingent, those in orange once again suffered from abysmal end product despite seeming dangerous when attacking.
A large part of the first half shutout by United (under immense pressure) has to be put down to debutant Varane, who made numerous important blocks and won several aerial duels with assurance. He seemed to integrate alongside Harry Maguire in no time, offering his anticipated presence of quality and experience.
Wolves burst into the second half with similar levels of threat as Trincao had to be denied again, this time by the everpresent Varane soon after the pause. Changes had to be made, and Ole acknowledged that; Edinson Cavani made his return by replacing Dan James (on what now turns out to have likely been his final United appearance before departing the club). Wolves were ahead in the intensity battle so, even though James is renowned for his pressing, the fresh desire of Cavani would be a virtue. United had to snap out of their pedestrian mannerisms if they were to get a result.
Thankfully, Wolves continued to lack composure in front of goal during their extensive spells of dominance. David de Gea quite remarkably denied two incredibly close range efforts after a corner was poorly dealt with, unexplainably sealing a double save from absolute point-blank range. The Spaniard looked to be back at his confident best, somehow keeping an electric Wolves outfit at bay on multiple occasions.
In spite of the early second half alteration, United continued to look loose in possession for too great an amount of time. On his first start for United, Sancho became the next to be hooked. Whether he was situated on the right or left, he proved ineffective and didn't have the desired impact once again due to limited involvement in the game. Anthony Martial was the new man relied on to influence the game and - though not necessarily directly down to his involvement - United did manage to engineer slightly more after the latest personnel switch.
Against the predominant run of play, United managed to break the deadlock as Wolves became slightly jittery at the back. For his 20th Premier League goal, Greenwood was on target yet again for his boyhood club. The strike came from exceptional distribution by Varane with a trademark surging pass into the final third, grabbing an assist on his debut. Following quick feet on the right hand side, Greenwood unleashed for a finish which ended up squirming past Jose Sa. The 19 year-old continues to brim with confidence, proving a reliable figurehead when in need of a goal.
That strike was all United needed, leaving Wolves to rue their plethora of squandered opportunities. Really, it was a game of such poor end product at both ends; for Wolves to have 15 shots but fail to score is credit to the United defence, but also testament to their lack of quality in goalward areas. Especially looking at the first half, Ole's side are very fortunate that their opposite number were unable to capitalise on their extreme momentum. On a day like yesterday, it becomes a matter of the result is all that matters. It wasn't pretty, but it ultimately didn't have to be to come away with the maximum! A positive way to head into the international break.
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