Jamie Jackson was our man at Old Trafford. Here’s his take on a frustrating night for the hosts. Thanks for reading this MBM!
Ruben Neves has been named man of the match. “To be honest we wanted to win. But when you come to Old Trafford and you get a draw, it’s always good. We are now looking forward to the next one. We have a week to prepare ourselves, and then we go again. We did well. They had some chances at the end of the game but that is normal, they were at home. But we controlled it, and it’s a fair result, a good game. I know Bruno Fernandes really well, he’s at a great club in a fantastic league, and now he can show what he can do. He is a great player and I’m really happy for him.”
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The big plus point for United: Bruno Fernandes performed well, even if he faded a little in the second half. Some crisp passing, a couple of shots in anger, and a little promise of some much-needed penetration, even if things didn’t quite come off tonight. Wolves will be happy with their new signing, too. Daniel Podence was a busy nuisance upon his late introduction. He looks a handful. A good evening for Portugal.
At The End Of The Day dept. Sheffield United, who won 1-0 at Crystal Palace earlier, are in fifth spot on 36 points, five shy of fourth-placed Chelsea, who could only draw at Leicester this lunchtime. Both Manchester United and Wolves had the opportunity to leapfrog the Blades into fifth with a win, but that goalless draw leaves them sixth and seventh respectively, both on 35 points. Tottenham, in eighth, will attempt to hoist themselves up to fifth tomorrow, a feat they’ll manage if they beat Manchester City.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 0-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Neither side deserved to win that, so here we are. Fair’s fair.
90 min +4: Wan-Bissaka burns down the right and, upon reaching the byline, loops a fine cross into the centre. Dalot stoops on the edge of the six-yard box and is inches away from guiding a header into the bottom right. So close to nicking all three points at the end!
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90 min +3: Wolves pin United back in their final third. Time ticks on.
90 min +2: United press. Wolves intercept and break. Podence slips a pass wide right for Neto, who enters the box and returns the ball. Podence spins on the spot but can’t get a shot away. Podence has looked very impressive in his short cameo. Busy, direct, decisive and skilful.
90 min +1: Jimenez is replaced by Dendoncker. He takes his own sweet time to depart, and is momentarily helped on his way by Shaw’s little shove. An opportunity to pause and take umbrage, before continuing on his meander towards the bench.
90 min: United are pressing Wolves back. They’re not finding any gaps, though. There will be four added minutes.
89 min: Neto threatens to counter down the right. Wan-Bissaka comes across and stops him with a perfectly timed tackle. United were otherwise in a world of trouble.
88 min: Before the corner is taken, James and Mata are replaced by Lingard and Dalot. Then there’s a game of head tennis in the Wolves box. Wolves eventually clear.
87 min: Neto clumsily brings down Shaw, who was going nowhere on the left. Suddenly this is a free kick in a very dangerous position. A big moment coming up in the race for fourth place. Martial hooks it long. Maguire tries to force home at the far post, but has to settle for a corner.
85 min: Neves finds the busy Podence down the right. Podence crosses towards Doherty at the near post. Maguire is forced to come across and block out for a corner. From the set piece, Saiss heads the ball against Maguire, and it pings clear. Moutinho hoicks it straight back in, and Jimenez is free, one on one! De Gea saves brilliantly, though, and the flag goes up for offside anyway.
84 min: Podence prepares to zip up the right wing, and is unceremoniously brought down by Shaw, who scythes him from behind. A no-brainer booking.
83 min: Fernandes puts Shaw in all sorts of trouble with an overly ambitious crossfield pass deep in his own territory. Shaw does extremely well to ride a 51-49 challenge with Moutinho and clear.
82 min: Now it’s Wolves’ turn to overthink a corner. There’s something to be said for occasionally putting it straight in the mixer.
81 min: A corner for United out on the right. Fernandes and Mata confuse each other, allowing Neto to tear up the other end. He feeds Jimenez, who earns a corner off Wan-Bissaka.
79 min: A nightmare minute for Lindelof nearly results in a goal. First he’s booked for hauling back Doherty on the left. Then from the resulting free kick, he’s beaten in the air by Saiss, who really should get his header on target from six yards. But no. It sails harmlessly over the bar.
78 min: Greenwood cuts in from the right and shoots. A double deflection nearly foxes Rui Patricio, but the keeper readjusts just in time.
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76 min: Traore gets up and departs, to be replaced by Podence. The home fans didn’t appreciate that break in play, and you can’t really blame them. Do they rock up for work half-dressed, wearing only string vest and pants? (We do on the MBM, admittedly, but you get the point.)
75 min: Traore is again in some discomfort, this time gripping his left ankle. He limps off, ready to be replaced by the new man Podence. But the new Wolves winger isn’t ready, so Traore goes down, buying his team-mate time to tape up his shinpads and pull on his shirt.
73 min: Moutinho, out on the left, tries a curler towards the top right. Nope.
72 min: Pereira, on the left-hand edge of the box, latches onto a deflected Shaw pass and curls a low shot straight down Rui Patricio’s throat. It’s his only real contribution so far, and it’s also his last of the evening. He’s replaced by Greenwood.
71 min: Moutinho is booked for a cynical move-jiggering handball in midfield.
70 min: The resulting corner, taken after Wolves replace Jota with Neto, is no good at all.
69 min: Traore bursts down the middle from deep. He slips the ball wide right for Jimenez, who nips past a wrong-footed Maguire and sprints down the channel. He enters the box and lashes a riser towards the top right from a tight angle. It’s a great effort, and met with an equally impressive save by de Gea, who tips over.
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68 min: Fernandes sends a bouncer goalwards. It’s easy meat for Rui Patricio, but the keeper takes his eye off the ball as he gathers, and nearly spills it into the bottom left. The ball squirts inches wide, and the resulting corner comes to nothing. That would have been a farcical way for United’s new boy to score his first goal for the club, not that he’d have complained on aesthetic grounds.
66 min: Fred shoots from distance. The shot hits Moutinho, and United want a penalty for hand ball. They’re not getting one. Wolves tear up the other end, Traore and Jota nearly making hay on the break. Neither can work the proper space for a shot.
65 min: This has got extremely scrappy. As things stand, it’ll be a good result for Sheffield United, who leapfrogged both sides into fifth earlier today after beating Crystal Palace. The Blades will stay there if nobody here finds a winner.
64 min: Wolves boss Nuno is booked for showing too much displeasure at the award of a free kick to his own team, Traore having been in a position to take advantage.
62 min: United continue to do not very much. A nice ball into the box from the right by the new boy Fernandes, but there’s nobody in the middle making a run to meet it. “United’s fans on the edge here,” suggests Stephen Carr. “We’re not quite at the ‘Hodgson at Liverpool’ stage but we’re not a million miles away either. It’s only Solksjaer preventing it from happening.”
60 min: Wan-Bissaka drops a shoulder to make ground down the inside-right channel. He slips a little pass infield for Mata, who whistles a low shot roughly one inch wide of the right-hand post. So close to the opener.
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59 min: James zips down the right and sends a deflected shot towards Rui Patricio.
58 min: Fernandes whips the free kick over the wall and towards the top left. It’s got power and swerve, but Rui Patricio is right behind it. Still, United fans seem to like what they’ve seen from their new signing so far. He’s certainly felt like a genuine threat, and always involved in the play.
57 min: Mata has space to shoot from distance. His effort is easily blocked, but Neves comes sliding in and upends him, earning a booking and gifting United a free kick in a central position, 25 yards out. Fred and Fernandes stand over it.
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55 min: A debut booking for Bruno Fernandes, as Jimenez spins past Fred on the right and sashays infield. There are options for him ahead, so Fernandes tugs him back in the cynical style. He doesn’t bother complaining about it.
53 min: Suddenly Jota bursts down the inside left, a stunning dribble that only ends when he loses his footing, six yards from goal. He was preparing to poke home, but the presence of Maguire and Wan-Bissaka was enough to put him off. Wolves claim for a penalty for this one as well, but again, it’s a big resounding NAH from the ref.
52 min: United are struggling to retain possession. The home fans are getting ever more pensive.
50 min: Neves and Jimenez combine down the middle, a couple of simple passes nearly opening United right up. Wan-Bissaka does extremely well to get in the way and deny Jimenez the chance to shoot, though the ball does rear up and hit his hand. Wolves scream for a penalty, but the ref’s not interested, and no wonder: Wan-Bissaka was trailing his arm behind and didn’t have a clue where the ball was.
49 min: Boly high-kicks Martial out on the left, and this is a chance for United to load the box. Fred takes the free kick ... but it’s pretty aimless and easily cleared by the visitors. The away fans are making the most noise right now, though that particular bar is low. To be fair, neither team has done much to excite the crowd.
47 min: United pass it around awhile. Martial feeds Wan-Bissaka down the right. The full back’s cross is no good. He has another run. He trundles the ball out of play.
United get the second half underway. Some good news for Wolves: Traore is back out, sore shoulder and all. No changes.
Half-time entertainment. At last! It’s the 1949 show! Courtesy of Nigel Moore.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 0-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Nothing much happens in them, and that’s a wrap for the first half. Neither team have seriously looked like scoring. Improvements, please!
45 min: Eventually Traore is back up and running, though they’ll be sure to run the rule over him during the break. That’s coming along after two extra minutes.
44 min: Maguire pulls back Traore’s left arm, both hands on. It’s a garden-variety tussle, but Traore’s felt that, gesticulating towards his occasionally troublesome shoulder and wincing with pain. The physio comes on. Traore doesn’t look comfortable.
42 min: Wan-Bissaka accidentally stands on Moutinho’s foot. VAR checks, but it’s nothing more than a foul. Poor old Moutinho has been in the wars this evening. He’ll be fine to continue, again.
40 min: This is better, though, as Shaw bursts down the left and pulls one back for Fernandes, who pearls a rising shot goalwards from the edge of the box. But it’s straight at Rui Patricio, who gathers.
39 min: James threatens to break clear down the inside left but stumbles just before he reaches the box. United keep hold of possession, they pass and probe, but can’t work a way through. A few grumbles from the faithful.
37 min: United are struggling to make any space whatsoever in the Wolves final third. The visitors are happy to sit back and wait for each move’s inevitable breakdown.
35 min: Jonny and Jota work the ball well down the left. Jota then glides infield and switches play towards Traore, who bombs into the box from the right and slaps a wild shot wide right. He should have done much better. A suddenly worried Old Trafford had been waiting for the net to ripple.
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34 min: Jimenez is sent scampering clear down the right. United are light in defence, and are very pleased to see Jonny flagged offside. The hosts are looking the most likely to score.
33 min: Fernandes takes his first shot in anger in a United shirt. He screws it harmlessly wide right from distance. Rui Patricio had it covered all the way. United have yet to make the Wolves keeper work.
32 min: It’s high-octane stuff, this. But my word, it’s scrappy. Both teams seem stuck in Counter Mode, and all the moves are breaking down in short order.
30 min: A free kick down the other end, Pereira needlessly bowling Jota to the ground, 25 yards out. Neves tries to show Fernandes how to do it. He doesn’t, though. The ball sails deep into the Stretford End.
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29 min: Fernandes sends the ball in the general direction of the far post, but hoicks it harmlessly out for a goal kick. Onwards and upwards. “What a waste of money,” trill the Wolves supporters, earning a perfect 10 for both comic timing and predictability.
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28 min: But suddenly James slips a pass down the inside right for Martial, who spins adroitly and draws a foul from Saiss. This is a free kick in a dangerous position, 30 yards out, just to the right of goal. A chance for Fernandes to showcase his dead-ball skills.
27 min: United stroke it around for a bit, but don’t really go anywhere. Wolves are happy to sit back and see what the hosts can do. At the minute, that’s not very much.
25 min: Maguire, buoyed by his howitzer at Tranmere, has another pot from distance. He shanks it miles wide right. Still, buying lottery tickets, all that.
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24 min: Neves rakes a ball down the right for Traore, who slips. The crowd cheer and jeer. Traore simply gets up and starts tormenting Shaw, hooking a long cross towards Jota, who should do much better at the far post than chesting down and launching it straight back at Traore and out of play. United are giving Traore too much time, and asking for trouble.
22 min: United are passing it around at a notably faster pace than of late. Fernandes and Mata very much at the heart of it. They push Wolves back. But then Neves, Jimenez and Doherty combine deliciously, long-pass one-twos opening United up down the right. Doherty can’t find anyone with his cross, but Wolves don’t half play some pretty football at times.
20 min: This one’s hit long. Doherty rises mighty high, looping a header towards the top right. It’s dropping in, and de Gea does extremely well to claw it out. The flag then goes up, fingering some offside lurkers.
19 min: Traore wins a Wolves corner on the right. Fred hacks it clear. Neves whacks it back in. Moutinho wins another corner on the same side.
18 min: Martial scampers down the inside left after a sliderule pass by Fernandes. He earns himself a corner. The set piece itself isn’t much to write home about, but Fernandes and Mata combine well down the left as United come again, crisp passes that eventually tee up Pereira, who slices a shot from the edge of the box wide left. Promising early signs from United’s new midfielder. He’s clipping it around nicely.
16 min: Good news for Wolves. Moutinho is back up and about after running repairs by the physio.
15 min: Moutinho is down, having come off worse in a 50-50 duel with Fernandes. Has he pulled a muscle? He’s certainly holding his hamstring and grimacing quite a lot.
13 min: Traore flies past Maguire down the right with ease. He reaches the byline and cuts the ball back. Jimenez can’t quite connect with a diving header. Say what you like about Maguire’s lack of pace, but Traore’s speed from a standing start is unreal.
11 min: Martial has a wee look down the right. Nothing doing. United haven’t got going as an attacking force yet.
9 min: Jota drifts down the left, cuts inside, and very nearly finds Jimenez free in the box with a simple pass. Lindelof, the only United defender in the same postcode, steps across to clear. Wolves are having the better of these early exchanges.
7 min: Fred’s miserable midfield pass is intercepted by Neves, who shuttles the ball forward for Jimenez. It’s then sent down the inside-right channel for Traore to chase, but Shaw cleverly/cynically brushes him to knock the lightning winger off his rhythm. Lindelof mops up.
5 min: The resulting corner is missed by a combination of Shaw, Lindelof and Maguire. The ball breaks to Saiss on the penalty spot. He’s facing the wrong way, though, and after spinning he lashes harmlessly over the bar.
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4 min: The resulting free kick is a non event. But Wolves come back at United, Traore exploding form a standing start down the right and hooking into the box. Lindelof is forced to hysterically slice a clearance into the stand behind.
3 min: Space for Jonny and Jota out on the left. Jota looks to roll Pereira, and is held back by the United midfielder. A free kick out on the left. Everybody congregates on the edge of the United box.
2 min: It’s all a bit hectic. United are seeing more of the ball, but Wolves aren’t letting them do much with it.
39 seconds: Another huge cheer as Fernandes takes his first touch in a United shirt.
Here we go, then! The visitors get the Saturday teatime match underway, after a huge welcoming cheer for the new boy Fernandes.
The teams are out! A fine afternoon-spent-in-the-public-bar atmosphere at Old Trafford. Manchester United are in their famous red shirts, wearing black armbands in remembrance of the Babes. Wolves sport their storied old gold ... but only on the trim of their black change shirts. We’ll be off in a minute or two. Don’t move!
Nuno Espirito Santo on the return of Willy Boly. “It is good. He’s a good player. We dealt with his absence well, but today he’s ready to go. Jota and Neto are both well, both give us different things, so it’s a good option, it’s about the idea we have for the games. We have to be organised, we have to play a very good team, we have to play very well. We compete against everybody, it’s about us trying to do the things we have planned. Daniel Podence is ready to go.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on his two new signings. “There have been loads of fans waiting for Bruno Fernandes to come, and the player himself has been a very good influence since he’s come. Of course it’s been a few hectic days for him, but the boost of him being around has been good for everyone. He’s ready to go, he wants to play, and we need some fresh legs. We’ve had 18 games in the last two months, it’s been a big demand for these boys. In Odion Ighalo we’ll get a proper man, a great lad, a good goalscorer. It’s not long ago he was top scorer in the African Nations Cup. I know him from way back in Norway, and he gives us a different option, so I’m delighted that he wanted to come for a few months. It’s great to have him around, and I know he’s a Man United fan.”
The Busby Babes. Supporters have this afternoon attended a memorial service for the legendary Babes, forever young after perishing at Munich in 1958. This is the nearest home match to the 6 February anniversary, and it’s apt that Wolves are the visitors today, for the Babes had been travelling home to welcome Stan Cullis’s side to Old Trafford for a title summit meeting two days later. It would have been a must-win for United, with Wolves firmly in control of the First Division that season. When the rescheduled game was eventually played, a makeshift, threadbare United lost 4-0 to the champions-elect. The result that day was less significant than the bittersweet return to the team of survivor Dennis Violett.
Manchester United hand a debut to their new £47m midfield maestro Bruno Fernandes. He’s one of four changes to the team that won at the Etihad on Wednesday night. In come Daniel James, Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira; out go Brandon Williams, Jesse Lingard, Mason Greenwood and the suspended Nemanja Matic.
Wolves make two changes to the side that lost at home to Liverpool nine days ago. Willy Boly and Diogo Jota take the places of Pedro Neto and Leander Dendoncker. Their new winger Daniel Podence is named as a sub.
The teams
Manchester United: de Gea, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, James, Mata, Andreas Pereira, Martial.
Subs: Jones, Lingard, Dalot, Romero, Greenwood, Chong, Williams.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Rui Patricio, Coady, Boly, Saiss, Doherty, Joao Moutinho, Neves, Jonny, Traore, Jimenez, Jota.
Subs: Bruno Jordao, Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence, Gibbs-White, Ruddy, Dendoncker, Kilman.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
Preamble
Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, two names blessed with that incandescent wow and sparkle of old-school glamour. It’s all about the 1950s, really, both sides florescent under the floodlights, opening our hearts and minds to Europe. Sigh.
In an ideal world, this fixture would be live on ...
... in grainy black and white, with an episode of The Strange World of Gurney Slade to follow. But it’s not, and here we are. It’s still a biggie, though, with both sides looking for three points that would keep them in the hunt for the fourth Champions League spot. So tune in, kids. It might not be on Granada ... but it’s on!
Kick off: 5.30pm GMT.
