Wolves 2-1 Manchester United: 5 causes of United's shocking defeat

At the end of the full-time whistle, Manchester United cut a sorry figure on the field. They had missed a glorious opportunity to go third in the table and keep the pressure on their rivals. Instead, United stayed 5th and were in danger of dropping further down to 6th if Chelsea win their game against Brighton.

It was a night to forget for Solskjaer, who has now lost 3 of his last 4 games in all competitions. The confirmation of his appointment means that there’s no immediate danger to his job, but against Wolves, the Norwegian had a reality check.

The performance was one of the worst since he took charge. United started the game well and even scored the opening goal. Scott McTominay received the ball from Fred at the edge of the opposition box and unleashed a low volley past Patricio in goal to give his team the lead. However, Wolves came back through Jota in the 25th minute. Young’s Red Card in the 57th minute jeopardized things. United conceded through a Smalling own goal in the 77th minute to surrender all three points.

While Solskjaer will be worried by the lost ground in the race to secure the Champions League places, he will be far from impressed by his team’s performance. Against Wolves, Manchester United were the cause of their own downfall and here are 5 reasons why they lost the game.

#5 Team selection

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Premier League

Manchester United played Watford on Saturday in a highly intense game and it is understandable that United were drained from the experience. And Solskjaer had to rest quite a few of his key players who picked up knocks. Herrera and Rashford were injured, while Martial could only make the bench.

Solskjaer opted for McTominay and Fred to partner Pogba in the midfield, but United missed Herrera's energy and Matic's calm on the night. The defense also missed the two experienced campaigners and a lack of shield was evident.

Lukaku and Lingard started the attack and were very poor. United lacked precision in the final third the whole night. Had Martial and Rashford been fit, United might have been 3-0 up by the 25th minute. Ultimately, United failed to cope with the absence of key players and lost the game.

#4 A back 5

The Norwegian has almost always opted for a back four in his team. On the few occasions that he has tried a back 5, it has not worked out well. Against Wolves too, Solskjaer opted for a back 5, but failed to have the impact he desired.

Instead of bringing composure, the move yielded a lot of confusion in the team. Smalling and Young were regularly caught out of position and struggled to cope up with the Wolves attack. However, the main problem was that the purpose of going with a back 5 was never fulfilled.

Solskjaer wanted to cripple Wolves by using the wings. He opted for two young fullbacks who love to go forward, but Shaw and Dalot were not utilized properly by their teammates. Dalot picked up good positions in the first half, but indecision from his teammates saw him isolated. Shaw, on the other hand, missed the support of Martial and did not have the desired impact on the field.

#3 Losing the midfield battle

Fred and McTominay had started alongside each other on a few occasions and knew each other well. It was a partnership that had the basis to succeed at the Molineux. Unfortunately, neither of them was able to get a grip on the game.

Fred gave away the ball cheaply at an area where losing possession is akin to a criminal offense. He provided a little shield to the back and allowed the Wolves midfield to run past him with ease. McTominay, on the other hand, showed a lot of intent and desire. He was good at closing down the opposition and also scored a goal to give United the perfect start. However, he was not as dominating or imposing in the middle as Solskjaer would have liked.

With two inexperienced players alongside him, Pogba looked a little jaded. The Frenchman still kept trying, but could not win the midfield battle on the night. It ultimately cost United the game.

#2 Lack of discipline from players

There was an alarming lack of discipline among the United players on the night. After starting the game quite well, United were in pole position to take away all three points. They even had a goal early in the first half and were cruising at one point of time. However, the players got their foot off the table and Wolves came snarling back.

For starters, there were too many miss passes. United were guilty of giving away the ball cheaply on many occasions. And it ultimately led to the Wolves equalizer. Fred miss-controlled the ball near his box and handed the home side an easy chance to pile the pressure on United. Jota finished well to draw Wolves level.

Even though the away side pressed from the start, after conceding the goal, the intensity was gone. United committed unnecessary fouls, and Ashley Young then crippled the away side in the 57th minute. He committed two fouls in a space of 5 minutes, earned two yellow cards and had to leave the field. United’s lack of discipline on the field cost them the game.

#1 Failure to convert their chances

When Lukaku missed a sitter in the opening stages, it was just the signs of things to come. Dalot sent in a glorious ball from the right and Lukaku escaped his marker and sent in a ferocious header. Sadly, it was aimed directly at Rui Patricio in the Wolves goal.

A few minutes later, Lingard had an even better chance to score. Lukaku lofted in a ball to the Englishman, who was in acres of space with the goal at his mercy. His feeble header almost surprised Patricio, who accepted it with open arms. United should have been 3-0 up by the 25th minute and the game would have been put to bed. Instead, Wolves got their equalizer and put the home team under pressure.

Before the end of the half, McTominay had another chance to score, but his header from close range was saved well from Patricio. United would have quite a few more chances before the end of the game but failed to convert their chances. They had 18 shots, 4 of which were on target and scored 1 goal. It was their failure to convert their chances that ultimately cost Manchester United the game.