Soccer

Mason Greenwood’s late strike seals nervy win for Manchester United

Away supporters spent game singing Ronaldo’s name at Molineux

Mason Greenwood scores Manchester United’s goal during the Premier League match against Wolves at Molineux. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Ben Fisher at Molineux
Sun Aug 29 2021 - 19:16

Wolves 0 Manchester United 1

Even after Mason Greenwood snatched victory 10 minutes from time, there was only one name on the lips of the baying Manchester United supporters: Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side were dreadful in the first half and remained disjointed in the second but after withstanding swells of Wolves pressure, Greenwood rattled in his third goal of the season to extend United’s unbeaten start to the season. Somehow, Wolves are pointless and goalless after three matches and this slender defeat was a particular travesty.

For Bruno Lage, it has been a mightily cruel induction to the Premier League, with his side overpowering and outwitting opponents, not for the first time this season, only to leave empty-handed.

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Wolves stretched the United defence time and again, while David de Gea made a preposterous double save to stop Romain Saïss from opening the scoring late on. But then Greenwood drifted down the right flank and drove in, his shot squirming under José Sá.

The stadium fell silent a few minutes before kick-off, when the public address system announced a very special guest would be making their way on to the pitch. For a split second, you could forgive the more giddy away supporters for wondering whether Ronaldo might be about to emerge from the tunnel. In reality, the South Korea forward Hwang Hee-chan was about to be introduced to the Wolves supporters after arriving on a season-long loan from RB Leipzig.

The United fans who filled the lower tier of the Steve Bull Stand sang Ronaldo’s name from start to finish but the only sign of the striker, who arrived in Lisbon for his medical on Friday, was in the shape of a cardboard cutout cradled by one supporter, while another frantically waved a Portugal flag. Solskjær said the paperwork on Ronaldo’s €20 million deal is being finalised.

Solskjær had been criticised in some quarters for persisting with a double defensive pivot and while he loosened the shackles here, with Nemanja Matic among three players to drop out from the draw at Southampton, a ravenous Wolves side painfully exposed his midfield in a one-sided first half.

Adama Traoré skipped between Paul Pogba and Fred inside three minutes before racing upfield and releasing Raúl Jiménez, whose tame shot was kept out by De Gea at his near post. Traoré was having a field day, bouncing off challenges as if driving on the dodgems – the United debutant Raphaël Varane got a block in to deny Jiménez after being freed by the winger.

On the opposite flank Trincão caused Luke Shaw problems and the Wolves winger would have capitalised on a daredevil start by United had Aaron Wan-Bissaka not cleared his arrowed shot off the line.

Wolves stormed forward on the counterattack through Rúben Neves, encouraged to surge forward by Lage, the manager throwing his hands into the air like daggers, and Trincão sped past Fred and into the box before Wan-Bissaka intervened at the last. United were being bombarded and Solskjær knew it, a first-half stoppage providing respite and time for him to hastily feed instructions to players.

United roused approaching the interval but it was a lukewarm first-half display at best. Bruno Fernandes, booked by Mike Dean for protesting against a decision not to award a foul in his favour, scored with United’s first shot on target on 40 minutes but was swiftly ruled offside. On the brink of the interval Greenwood sent a shot narrowly wide of a post, after latching on to a deft flick by Fernandes that set the striker free down the left.

United failed to convince after the break and presumably Solskjær was equally underwhelmed, introducing the current No 7, Edinson Cavani, eight minutes into the second half in place of Daniel James.

Varane made a crucial block to prevent Trincão from squaring for Jiménez moments before Cavani’s arrival but Wolves did not relent. Jiménez crashed a header wide and then Trincão fluffed his lines, miscuing his shot after Traoré, slipped in by Jiménez, spotted the winger lurking unmarked by the penalty spot.

It was a golden chance and the omens appeared on United’s side when De Gea somehow prevented Saïss from opening the scoring with 21 minutes to play. João Moutinho floated in a corner, which was superbly won by – who else? – the indomitable Traoré, and Saïss rose above Varane to head at goal. De Gea pawed away the first attempt and then sprung instinctively to his left to get two hands to the second. Eventually Wolves would be punished for their profligacy, Greenwood powering in to smuggle victory. – Guardian