Wolves v Man Utd LIVE: Result as Matheus Cunha scores from corner after Bruno Fernandes sent off
Hosts Wolves climbed out of the relegation zone with victory over Ruben Amorim’s struggling Manchester United
Wolves saw off a tepid Manchester United at Molineux on Boxing Day with a 2-0 victory that lifted them out of the relegation zone.
United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off as his side went down – a fourth defeat in their last five Premier League games.
Fernandes earned a second yellow card two minutes after the interval and United’s gloom deepened as Matheus Cunha scored direct from a corner.
It was an embarrassing moment for United keeper Andre Onana and one that summed up the malaise at the club as they languish in the bottom half of the table.
Wolves held on through a nervy eight added minutes against the 10 men and Hwang Hee-chan made absolutely sure with virtually the last kick after a counter-attack to make it a joyous first home game in charge for new manager Vitor Pereira who began his reign with an away win at Leicester City.
Victory lifted Wolves out of the bottom three into 17th place with 15 points from 18 games while Ruben Amorim’s United ended the day in 14th place with 22 points.
Follow all of the latest reaction from Molineux in our live blog below:
Manchester United team news
So Ruben Amorim makes two changes to his Manchester United team. Leny Yoro comes into the side for Tyrell Malacia, with Mazraoui presumably shifting from the back three to wing-back as a result, and Rasmus Hojlund returns to the starting line-up in place of Joshua Zirkzee up front. Matthijs de Ligt is back on the bench after a brief illness.
Confirmed line-ups
Wolves: Sa, Semedo, Doherty, Bueno, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Andre, J.Gomes, Guedes, Cunha, Larsen
Subs: Johnstone, Dawson, Meupiyou, Lima, Doyle, R.Gomes, Bellegarde, Forbs, Hwang.
Manchester United: Onana, Yoro, Maguire, Martinez, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot, Amad, Fernandes, Hojlund.
Subs: Bayindir, De Ligt, Evans, Eriksen, Casemiro, Collyer, Garnacho, Antony, Zirkzee.
Team news
The line-ups should be released in the next five minutes, so here’s a reminder of the early team news.
Wolves will welcome back Rayan ait-Nouri after he served his suspension in the win over Leicester, while Mario Lemina could also come back after suffering a calf strain. Boubacar Traore and Pablo Sarabia are unlikely to be back before the New Year, while long-term absentees Yerson Mosquera, Enso Gonzalez Medina and Sasa Kalajdzic remain unavailable.
For United, there are no new injury concerns after the loss to Bournemouth, with Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Victor Lindelof out. Matthijs de Ligt has missed the last two matches with an unspecified illness, so he could make a return at centre-back.
It was a surprise for me, says Vitor Pereira after Wolves’ big win at Leicester
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira admitted even he was surprised by his team’s display after his first game at the helm ended in a 3-0 triumph at fellow strugglers Leicester.
Goncalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha were all on target in the first half to get Pereira, who arrived from Al Shabab on Thursday to replace the sacked Gary O’Neil, off to the perfect start.
“For a short time of work, what the team did in the game was a surprise for me,” said the Portuguese, whose 18th-placed team moved within two points of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Foxes. “We showed true spirit, the confidence and tactically I think we were intelligent.”
It was a surprise for me, says Vitor Pereira after Wolves’ big win at Leicester
The Portuguese arrived on Thursday to take over the Wolves reins from the sacked Gary O’Neil.
Gary Neville calls for ‘cultural overhaul’ at Manchester United after latest embarrassment
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has reiterated the need for a “cultural overhaul” at the club after Ruben Amorim’s side fell to another humbling defeat at the weekend.
Speaking on his podcast on Sky Sports, Neville said that United “are a mile away in every single way”, with several players who are “all very mediocre”.
United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, with a disjointed performance that was defensively poor and often lacking in attacking threat.
Gary Neville calls for ‘cultural overhaul’ at Man Utd after latest embarrassment
Ruben Amorim’s side struggled once again and fell to a 3-0 loss to Bournemouth
Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim questions ‘choices’ of ‘people around’ Marcus Rashford
Ruben Amorim has questioned the “choices” of people surrounding Marcus Rashford while offering his support to the Manchester Unitedstriker.
Rashford sat out a third successive game on Sunday as United crashed to a 3-0 Premier League home defeat to Bournemouth, the 27-year-old having also been omitted for a 2-1 derby win at Manchester City and Thursday’s 4-3 Carabao Cup quarter-final loss at Tottenham.
Two days before that Spurs defeat, Rashford had said in an eye-catching interview that he was “ready for a new challenge and the next steps” of a career which began in the United academy.
Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim questions ‘choices’ of ‘people around’ Marcus Rashford
The England international has missed United’s last three games
Is Wolves vs Man Utd on TV?
When is Wolves v Manchester United?
The match kicks off at 5.30pm GMT on Boxing Day, Thursday, 26 December at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton.
How can I watch the match?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Amazon Prime Video, with the streaming service showing every Boxing Day fixture in the Premier League.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Predicted line-ups
Wolves XI: Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Gomes; Semedo, Andre, Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Cunha; Larsen.
Man Utd XI: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Diallo, Fernandes, Hojlund.
Team news
For United, there are no new injury concerns after the loss to Bournemouth, with Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Victor Lindelof out. Matthijs de Ligt has missed the last two matches with an unspecified illness, so he could make a return at centre-back.
Team news
Wolves will welcome back Rayan ait-Nouri after he served his suspension in the win over Leicester, while Mario Lemina could also come back after suffering a calf strain. Boubacar Traore and Pablo Sarabia are unlikely to be back before the New Year, while long-term absentees Yerson Mosquera, Enso Gonzalez Medina and Sasa Kalajdzic remain unavailable.
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