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Manchester United’s top-four hopes took a beating against Wolves as they lost a close game 2-1. The Red Devils had an excellent start to the match as Scott McTominay gave them the lead in the 13th minute. Wolves kept on knocking the doors and were rewarded after a mistake from Fred which Diogo Jota capitalized on and scored for the newcomers.
Ashley Young’s 57th-minute Red card completely changed the complexion of the match as United were playing the waiting game after that. Nuno Santo’s side enjoyed great possession after that moment and were rewarded by a Chris Smalling own-goal as Wolves picked up 3 points.
Manchester United were not helped by mistakes from David De Gea and Fred and they look in a bad position in the race for top 4 places. Here are the three reasons why the Red Devils lost the encounter:
#1. Poor in front of goal
Manchester United had a lot of firepower in attack but failed to create many chances and were also wasteful in front of goal. Diogo Dalot found Lukaku with a great cross early on but the Belgian failed to tap the ball into the net.
Lingard also wasted a golden opportunity in the first half when he could have taken an extra touch before firing the ball. Solskjaer's team started the second half with purpose but they again failed to take their chances. This time McTominay was guilty of not making the most of a Pogba through ball.
As the match went on United had less and less chances as they were one man short and it turned the tie in favor of Wolves who are known for their counter-attacking brand of football. Ole has to find a way to motivate his players again with a big Champions League match also coming up next week.
#2. Errors from Fred and David De Gea
Fred has had a torrid start to his United career and it seems that there is a mistake written somewhere in his play which costs the team. Remember his tackle on Xhaka which gave Arsenal the penalty and the match too.
He failed to control a pass from De Gea which though was in a dangerous area but Fred’s technical abilities would have made him control it well. De Gea was also to blame for the first goal as he did not clear the lines properly.
The second goal really had De Gea to blame as he failed to control a loose ball which forced Smalling’s error and subsequently an own goal. De Gea was also guilty of allowing Xhaka to beat him from a far distance in the match against Arsenal at the Emirates some weeks back. Looks like De Gea is not the reliable goalkeeper he was a couple of seasons ago.
#3. Ashley Young’s red card
Ashley Young was guilty of showing high studs to a Wolves defender and that cost United a man and also the match. Young, who was playing as a center back in the back three was having a good time on the pitch when a misjudgment cost him the wrath of the referee.
After Ashley’s red card, it was all Wolves as they enjoyed possession and also created more chances to score which they did in the second half.
Solskjaer was having a terrific run just some matches back but he is facing the realities of the Premier League where any team on its day can defeat a top 6 team. United are falling apart in the race to top 4 but given the inconsistency of Chelsea and Spurs, there is still hope for them to fight back. The defense needs to be sorted out and it seems Ole already has some big plans for the next season.
