Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Manchester United
Manchester United just can’t seem to get the better of Wolverhampton Wanderers these days. For the third-straight Premier League meeting (and fourth overall), United were unable to claim victory over Wolves, who battled to a 1-1 draw at Molineux on Monday.
Ruben Neves’ wonder strike equalised for Wolves, while Paul Pogba missed a second-half penalty which could have handed United the win.
An SBOBET tipster had a feeling United would make it two wins out of two, and they very nearly did. But it’s clear that despite the excitement surrounding their 4-0 win over Chelsea on the opening weekend, the Red Devils still have some more work to do this season.
Highlights of the game
Last season, Wolves prided themselves on making things difficult for the big sides. Man United found that out the hard way as they lost two out of three meetings against them, both at Molineux.
So it came as no surprise that the first quarter of an hour turned out to be rather uneventful for both sides.
The first notable attack came in the 18th minute from Manchester United. Paul Pogba released Marcus Rashford down the left wing, and the English forward sent in an inviting cross to Anthony Martial in the six-yard box.
However, the Frenchman — and now United centre-forward — failed to get on the end of the ball as Willy Boly did enough to throw him off.
But Martial did get on the end of another chance, which he took to open the scoring on 27 minutes. Rashford’s through ball found Martial, who unleashed a ferocious finish which gave Wolves keeper Rui Patricio no chance.
Martial very nearly doubled his tally at the stroke of half-time. Ryan Bennett’s weak pass gave Martial an opening to intercept, but Boly’s crucial challenge once again denied the Frenchman a chance on goal.
Wolves very nearly equalised nine minutes after the break from a well-worked set piece. Record signing Raul Jimenez produced a brilliant glancing header which left David de Gea rooted to the spot. But unfortunately for the Mexican, his header hit the post and United were somehow able to clear.
However, Wolves would eventually get their equaliser just moments later thanks to a sublime strike from Ruben Neves. The Wolves midfielder scored some spectacular goals from outside the box last season, and this latest effort is already among the top Premier League 2019 highlights of the season.
Wolves orchestrated yet another well-worked corner routine with Joao Moutinho finding Neves at the edge of the penalty area. And after a couple of touches to set himself, Neves uncorked an unstoppable strike that smashed the underside of the crossbar and in.
But on 67 minutes, United were handed a golden opportunity to regain the lead. With the aid of a 1-2 with Martial, Pogba powered his way into the penalty area and was tripped up by Conor Coady. Referee Jonathan Moss had no hesitation pointing to the spot.
Pogba, who didn’t take last weekend’s penalty against Chelsea, picked himself up to take responsibility for this one. But the Frenchman couldn’t come through for United as his forceful strike was expertly saved by Rui Patricio.
Neither side came particularly close to grabbing a winner following the penalty. Wolves came closest with Leander Dendoncker’s strike which went just over the bar. Meanwhile, United’s best chance came on Luke Shaw’s injury-time shot, which went straight at Rui Patricio.
Key statistics
To those who followed Wolves last season, particularly against the bigger sides, the stats from this match against United should be quite familiar. Wolves were all too welcome to cede the majority of possession to the visitors, which was why they had just 35 per cent of the ball to United’s 65.
However, United weren’t able to do much with it. They finished with just nine shots in total and a mere two on target. That includes Pogba’s missed penalty.
As for Wolves, they had just six shots on target and two on target. But that is exactly the gameplan that they are becoming all too impressive at carrying out to pick up decent results against the top teams.
What’s next?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s boys will look to get back to winning ways this weekend when they to take on Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. The Premier League 2019 betting odds should be heavily in United’s favour, especially with Palace yet to pick up a win from their first two matches.
As for Wolves, they will have a very busy next few days ahead. They’re set to play four matches in the space of just 10 days with both legs of their Europa League play-off against Torino coming just a couple of days before their Premier League matches against Burnley and Everton.
Wolves opted not to play too many players during last year’s impressive campaign. However, the depth of their squad will now be put to the test due to their European commitments.
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