Man United Win Thriller Against Wolves, Varane Scores Late Winner

Man United Grind Out Nervy 1-0 Win Over Wolves

For much of the season opening match at Old Trafford, Wolves had Manchester United doing plenty of soul searching, locking down the Red Devil attack and creating chances of their own on the counter.

Wolves pressed United relentlessly and were able to break through the midfield with ease at times. Matheus Cunha was a constant threat for the visitors, bursting past tackles and using his strength to power towards goal.

Yet the chances that Wolves created weren’t finished. Cunha had the best opportunity in the first half when he was played through one-on-one, but could only hit the side netting with his shot. Podence also wasted a good chance just before halftime when he shot straight at David de Gea from inside the box.

United struggled to create anything of note in the first half. Bruno Fernandes was largely starved of service and the front three of Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Jadon Sancho saw very little of the ball.

Ten Hag made a double substitution at halftime, bringing on Anthony Martial and Christian Eriksen in hopes of unlocking the Wolves defense. It briefly seemed to work as United enjoyed more possession, but chances were still at a premium.

The breakthrough finally came in the 76th minute. Martial won a corner which Eriksen swung into the box. Raphael Varane timed his run perfectly, rising highest to head home from close range.

With the lead, United were able to see out the closing stages, despite more Wolves pressure. Cunha nearly had a second big chance to equalize but blazed over.

In a frantic ending, Wolves thought they had an equalizer deep into stoppage time but Simon Hooper waved play on when the ball struck Lisandro Martinez’s arm in the box. VAR supported the on-field decision, keeping the score at 1-0.

It was a nervy ending for United but they held on for all three points. Meanwhile, Wolves will rue the chances they missed, knowing a draw or even win was there for the taking on another day.