The Wolves are on the rise again and I’m off. Enjoy your Saturday night. Bye.
Paul Doyle's match report from Molineux
Raul Jimenez, who scored Wolves’s first goal and was brilliant tonight, speaks at pitch side: “It was an incredible night. We knew that we can create special things here. I think we want to make history and we want more.”
And here’s the Wolves captain, Conor Coady, who was a towering presence at the back and cool on the ball too. He’s grinning like a Cheshire cat: “We’ve got some phenomenal players going forwards. Two years ago we were in a bad place as a club and now we’re going to Wembley. I can’t tell you how proud we are. It’s a big thing for us. The club’s all pulling in one direction. It’s a special night.”
Nuno applauds the raucous Wolves crowd, who played their part tonight, roaring their team on from start to finish. They’re in no mood to go home, either. They want to stay and belt out their songs into the chill midlands air at Molineux for a while longer.
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Full-time: Wolves 2-1 Manchester United
Seconds after the restart, Atkinson blows the full-time whistle. Wolves are on their way to Wembley after a fine display and an expert gameplan.
Goal! Wolves 2-1 Manchester United (Rashford 90+5)
It’s late. Probably too late. Shaw scurries up the left wing and plays a low cross to Rashford who takes a lovely touch to dampen the cross before swivelling and driving home. A fine goal but too little too late.
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90+ 4 min: Dalot is booked for a tackle that was about a week late on Neves. And then Jimenez is substituted. He’s given a louder ovation than Jota. What a game he has had. He’s bang in form and up for the Cup.
90+ 2 min: United play a dozen or so passes 20 yards out from the Wolves area that go backwards and forwards but never through the golden wall of defenders.
90 min: Traore drills a shot wide. On this evidence, United will have to raise their game – and some – against Barcelona.
88 min: Wolves fans are giving it the olés. United have nothing left to give. They can’t get a touch of the ball and that is worrying. Pogba has had as quiet a game as I’ve seen him have under Solskjær. They haven’t got to grips with Wolves’s formation all game.
87 min: “The noise for the second goal was unreal!” roars Ben Simmons, above the din coming out of his TV. “Maybe its just the fancy microphones at the BBC, but that sounded as loud a celebration as I’ve heard in a long while. (Mandatory: TELL THESE WOLVES FAN THAT NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE FA CUP ANYMORE!)“ Just wait for the final whistle.
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86 min: Lingard is off and McTominay is on. Matic is off and Mata is on. Traore replaces Jota for Wolves. The scorer of Wolves’s second goal is given a wonderful standing ovation. He’s been outstanding, as has Jimenez.
VAR: Lindelof red card overturned!
84 min: After three minutes of looking at it, it’s deemed a yellow card offence. Weirdly, the replays made me think it was more likely to be a red as he took Jota’s standing leg. But it was a low sliding challenge and not a wild lunge, so maybe that’s fair.
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Red card for Lindelof! VAR pending!
81 min: This is turning into a horror show for United! Lindelof hares over to the touchline as Jota gets there first and thunders into a tackle. At first glance it looks like he’s trying to sweep the ball away and it should not be a red card. Let’s see what VAR thinks.
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78 min: Neves wallops a ball towards Jimenez that has Smalling shuffling backwards in a panic. He twists his head and nods the ball out for corner in a right dither. The Wolves fans roar like they’ve scored a third. United are on the ropes and their eyes are gone.
Goal! Wolves 2-0 Manchester United (Jota 76)
Wolves play the ball forwards, Shaw hooks a half-hearted ball to the edge of the Wolves area that is cleared again and this time Jota picks it up and twists Shaw inside out before leaving him on the deck. The forward takes a touch into the area and fires the ball past Romero, who perhaps could have done better. What a counter-attack. Sharp as you like.
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75 min: United win a corner. It’s played short and clipped in and Wolves break and then …
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74 min: The Wolves fans are giving it plenty. And quite right too. They’re going to Wembley as it stands. They do all right there. They beat Spurs this season.
72 min: Solskjæer shuffles his pack. Herrera is replaced by Pereira, who very quickly gets to business, driving a foot wide from 25 yards.
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Goal! Wolves 1-0 Manchester United (Jimenez 70)
He gets his shot away now all right. Moutinho dazzles with his footwork on the left, rolling back the years and ghosting into the box before sliding the ball square to the Mexican. He sees his path to goal blocked and takes a touch behind him, before swivelling and slamming home a low drive. A deserved lead for Wolves.
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69 min: Wolves are spreading the play delightfully from left to right without going forwards. Eventually, Jimenez clips a ball into the box to Jota, who tumbles to the turf behind Smalling, who uses his body well to stop the striker getting a shot away.
67 min: Rashford fizzes his cross in as though it’s a shot. It moves viciously in the air and causes mild alarm in the Wolves area, as a defender just glances it away for a throw. Moments later Herrera has a nibble at Jota. He needs to be careful too, given he’s just picked up a booking.
66 min: If veganism improves performance, I think the 22 players at Molineux should instantly make the switch. We need some entertainment. Manchester United win a free-kick wide on the left. Rashford stands over it.
64 min: Neves sticks out a cynical boot to bring Lingard down in midfield. He has to be careful. He’s on a yellow card too.
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62 min: Wolves win possession back and Herrera slides in wildly on Jota and inserts his name into Atkinson’s little black book.
61 min: Just as I write Wolves are on top, United have their best attacking spell this half. Shaw is clipped as he wins a header but Atkinson plays advantage. Herrera has a go from 20 yards but his shot is blocked and then United keep the ball, probing carefully and enjoying not being on the back foot for once.
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60 min: The Wolves fans are making a right racket. And their team is responding.
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58 min: Neves whips in a delicious ball from the right that is inches away from Jimenez, who only had to stick out a long, bony toe to score. And then Moutinho brings a fine save out of Romero with a vicious, dipping drive from 20 yards. Wolves are feeling this. They’re well on top this half.
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58 min: Gary Naylor can make you feel good. Or Gary Naylor thinks diet can make you feel good. He might be right, too.
I'm not a good advert for not eating meat, but my kids are @GreggBakowski. My first winter with no dairy and I have neither sneezed nor coughed in 10 months.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) March 16, 2019
56 min: Shaw tries to work the space for a cross on the left, but he looks up to be blinded by gold shirts. United are really struggling to create. Could be worth considering Mata soon.
55 min: Wolves win a corner. It’s a peach of a delivery to the penalty spot by Moutinho, who lands it on Jimenez, whose header is fizzing into the goal before Romero flings out a glove to divert it over. What a save that was! Who needs De Gea? That’s a joke, yeah?
52 min: Rashford is booked after jumping petulantly into a tackle after Coady stole the ball away from him. He’s suspended from the semi-final if United get there. Matic too.
50 min: Jimenez hoiks a shot over after getting a yard on Shaw, who does well to do some heavy breathing in the forward’s ear, perhaps putting him off.
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48 min: Wolves have taken control of the ball like they mean to keep it. But Neves has apparently had enough of this patient approach, though, and fires a dipping shot at goal from all of 35 yards out that fizzes wide by a yard.
46 min: Rashford stretches his legs on the right and flashes a shot wide of the near post under intense pressure from Coady. Rashford’s sure first touch and electric pace was a sign they may step it up here.
Peep!
45 min: It’s the second half! Let’s hope it’s better than the first.
Francis Mead writes: “The ‘problem’ is that VAR can’t clear up ALL decisions - but it can clearly help in a lot of other cases - so surely better over all to have it.” I agree but some handball decisions are just as tricky to deal with whether you have a replay or not.
United are missing Lukaku’s presence here. Coady, Saiss and Boly are keeping their front three very quiet.
Here’s Gary Naylor:
Speaking to a Wolves season ticket holder a fortnight ago, he reckoned Doherty's big improvement this year was due to adopting a vegan diet @GreggBakowski. I've no corroboration, but it makes sense to me.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) March 16, 2019
I’ve cut out a lot of meat recently and I’m getting absolutely no benefits, Gary. My fingers still feel like pork and apple sausages when I type.
They’ve shown another replay of Otto’s “handball” after Dalot’s shot. The VAR, presumably, has looked at it and decided it is not handball because it has come at Otto so fast. But Otto had his back half turned and his arms were kind of hanging out somewhat. In my opinion, it probably would have been given by some VARs, though. And therein lies the problem with VAR and handball decisions. They are open to interpretation and video replays probably don’t help.
Half-time: Wolves 0-0 Manchester United
Wolves have frustrated United with a perfect gameplan. They look razor sharp on the counter-attack too. United need a rethink. Oh, more housekeeping: Matic was booked for a foul on Jimenez just before half-time.
45 min: Jota has a swipe from outside the area but it’s deflected out for a corner. It’s not a good corner, though. And that’s the end of a disappointing first half.
44 min: A bit of housekeeping. Neves is booked for a foul on Pogba.
42 min: Smalling fails to clear properly near the halfway line, Jimenez finds Neves who pings a perfect pass through to Jota, free on the left. He takes a decent touch to the edge of the area but Romero is out to the edge of his area like a flash and saves to his left as Jimenez runs out of room to curl it around him with his right foot. Great goalkeeping that. He’s not a bad reserve is he?
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40 min: Moutinho’s delivery is another corker aimed at Boly’s head. Bodies collide and tumble like dominoes in the United box. On this occasion there are no appeals for a penalty, though. United break and Pogba is cynically brought down by Boly. It’s as clear a booking as you’ll ever see.
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38 min: The pace quickens at last! Dalot slams a shot into Otto’s elbow and appeals for a penalty are rightly ignored by Atkinson. It was similar to the penalty United got in Paris but Otto’s arm was at his side and not out to one side. United waste the corner and Wolves break and win one of their own. Moutinho to take it …
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36 min: An inswinger is whipped towards Boly on the penalty spot but goes over him and is cleared by Pogba. There’s a shout for a penalty as Boly collapses to the turf with Smalling for company. Replays show that the United defender was giving him a loving hug. Seen them given but the referee and VAR are not interested.
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34 min: Corner for Wolves after Jimenez wriggles away from his marker and wins a corner off Pogba. Will they play it short? If so, it’s a clue as to how windy it is.
31 min: United win a corner. Shaw ambles over to take it. And again it’s taken short and worked back to Rashford, who spanks a shot towards Walsall.
30 min: Doherty crosses first time from the right and Jota meets the cross on the volley but Dalot is in his way and seems to affect how much biff the Wolves forward puts on his shot. The upshot is a weak effort that dribbles through to Romero. Wolves are edging this I’d say, not that there’s much to edge.
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29 min: Moutinho pulls a short corner back to Neves on the edge of the area. His Portuguese teammate drills a low shot at goal but Romero is safely behind it.
28 min: Coady steps into midfield and wins back possession with precise timing. The Wolves captain curves a lovely little right footed pass out to Jota on the left. He cuts inside and tries a dink to the back post that is cleared for a corner.
26 min: And what a corner this is. It’s played short and then worked through to Rashford after a series of lovely passing triangles on the right. The youngster fizzes a cross in towards Martial but Saiss clears.
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25 min: Rashford tries to whip a cross in to Martial but Coady gets a big instep to it and clears for a corner.
24 min: Shaw gets the ball in space on the left but looks up and finds every avenue closed off. The result is a quick game of rondo on the left in which Wolves players harry United and win a throw-in. As my colleague Will Unwin has just said: “Maybe we’ve had our fill of excitement in sport today.”
21 min: Wolves have a promising break on but Otto rushes his pass to Jota, who can’t twist his body to collect the pass and the ball dribbles out of play.
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19 min: Matic and Lingard try to inject a bit of pace … sorry, I’ll try again … Lingard tries to inject a bit of pace into the game, trying a zippy one-two with Matic before Saiss steps in and hoofs clear. Then Martial and Shaw combine on the left, Shaw tries to play in a precise low cross, but it’s easily read and even more easily cleared.
17 min: Wolves win a corner on the right. Moutinho plays it short and then it’s clipped in to the back post. United make a hash of clearing it, with Pogba of all people, slicing it out of play. I think the wind may be playing its part here.
15 min: It’s not gone off at the kind of pace I expected. Wolves are playing a very patient game, letting United have the ball and when they do get it, making sure they keep hold of it for an extended period of time.
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13 min: Rashford wallops a dipping effort at goal from 30 yards. It’s safely held by Ruddy. The fact Rashford took it on is testament to Wolves’s solid defending so far. The wing backs have dropped deep and made it more of a five at the back.
11 min: United break and Pogba has a cheeky clipped effort that drifts a yard wide.
10 min: Smalling gives Jimenez a warning that he’ll be taking no nonsense off him tonight, getting tight and then kneeing both player and ball away from danger. And then Wolves enjoy a good spell of possession themselves, Moutinho and Neves orchestrating a patient probing move forwards that ends as Matic steps in to win possession back off Jota, as he tried to dribble into the area.
6 min: United are starting to dominate possession. Pogba tries to get his toes twinkling but Dendoncker sticks to his task and forces the United captain away from the edge of the Wolves area. Shaw has a scurry up the left flank and pulls back a low cross but Saiss gets a foot to it and then clears.
5 min: Wolves won’t want a repeat of the last meeting at Molineux between the two sides. United won that one 5-0 in the Premier League in 2012.
3 min: Both sides are just feeling each other out at the moment, perhaps just trying to get to grips with the differing formations. United have four at the back, Wolves are playing with three central defenders and wing backs.
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2 min: Wolves knock it around at the back patiently before Coady is put under pressure and tries a long, raking, pass out to Doherty on the right flank. It’s just a little too long for him, though, and United win a throw – and possession.
Peep!
1 min: We’re under way at Molineux. United kick off through Lingard, who is back from injury. They’re shooting from left to right on my TV screen. United in their famous red, Wolves in their grand old gold. We’re in for a treat ( I hope).
The teams emerge from the tunnel into a raucous atmosphere at this famous old stadium. Flames leap up from the side of the pitch as both sets of fans give it plenty. The home fans have been given gold and silver flags which are giving Molineux an added sheen. It’s almost time for kick-off folks!
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Justin Kavanagh writes: “Hearing Solskjæar speak after a couple of years of Mourinho is like having Abba show up to unexpectedly headline a blues festival. I can’t imagine the po-face Portugeezer say that anything is magical any more, let alone the FA Cup.” Mourinho had a magical way of blaming things other than his own tactics Justin.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær speaks:
Big games are coming up. Today, it’s the quarter-final in the FA Cup. When you lose a game you want to win the next one. Of course the boys felt hurt when they lost against Arsenal. They’ve had a good week.
Coady was unfortunate not to get a call from Gareth Southgate wasn’t he? He’s a lesson in perseverance, having not made it at Liverpool and then taken his time to find a club where he fits – and then steadily improve there. He doesn’t just defend, either. His distribution is very good. He came through at Liverpool as a central midfielder.
Wolves have conceded four goals fewer than Manchester United in the Premier League. Their three at the back, marshalled by Conor Coady, can be very hard to get through. It will be interesting to see how United handle facing wing backs today. Another intriguing battle will be in midfield, where Neves, Moutinho and Dendoncker are a match for anyone. United look very solid in that department, with Herrera and Matic holding fort and giving Pogba the freedom to play.
Ole Gunnar Solskjæar can sense magic in the air. I hope he’s right.
It is an exciting night. The FA Cup is absolutely magical. I won it a couple of times as a player, and we’d love to go to a semi-final. We have got a chance, if we perform well.
Wolves are four-time winners of this grand old trophy and the club’s manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, says he’s aware of what it means to the club and how important the game is to the fans now they are only two games away from the final.
It is the biggest game for the club for some time, we are aware of that … we want to make it happen again. But there is a lot of hard work ahead to repeat what happened in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. It was easier back then.
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Manchester City have joined Watford in the semi-finals. Will it be Wolves or Manchester United who join them? We’ll soon see.
If this match is half as good as Swansea v Manchester City, we’re in for a treat. Manchester City have battled their way back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 after Swansea threatened an almighty shock early on. Scott Murray is watching the final minutes of that one:
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Team news
Manchester United: Romero, Dalot, Lindelof, Smalling, Shaw, Herrera, Matic, Pogba (c), Lingard, Rashford, Martial. Subs: De Gea, Jones, Rojo, Pereira, Fred, McTominay, Mata.
Wolves: Ruddy, Boly, Coady, Saiss, Otto, Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Moutinho, Raul, Jota. Subs: Norris, Bennett, Cavaleiro, Costa, Gibbs-White, Vinagre, Traore.
Your man with the whistle: Martin Atkinson
So, four changes for United from the defeat at Arsenal. Romero comes in for De Gea, Lukaku is not in the squad because of a foot injury, Young is suspended and Herrera and Lingard come back in after their injuries.
Wolves rotate goalkeepers too, bringing in Ruddy for Rui Patricio.
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Preamble
Evening. It’s Saturday night under the floodlights at Molineux as two sides meet with fierce ambitions to win the FA Cup. It’s set up to be a cracker! Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past few months you’ll know that United are rejuvenated, adventurous and hungry again under Ole Gunnar Solskjær. You’ll also be aware that Wolves are seventh in the Premier League, playing some fine counterattacking football under Nuno Espírito Santo, and knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup in the third round. So, I’d rate this tie as 50/50. Wolves and Manchester United both have the look of cup teams about them.
United will have been stung by the league defeat at Arsenal last time out, so Wolves’s defence will have to be on point, as they were at Chelsea, when they went this close to taking three points before Eden Hazard popped up in the dying embers of the game. Wolves and United have met once this season, at Old Trafford in the league. The score was 1-1. I can see another draw tonight, which would mean extra-time … and possibly penalties. Ah come on, we all love penalties.
With Storm Hannah blowing a gale through Britain this evening, it won’t be easy for the players out there. A bizarre goal or two? Maybe. I’ll be back with the team news shortly. Here’s some pre-match reading while you wait:
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