Kobbie Mainoo fires winner in late drama as Man Utd stun Wolves - 7 talking points
WOLVES 3-4 MANCHESTER UNITED: 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo was United's matchwinner with a sensational stoppage time strike that cancelled out a 95th minute equaliser
Kobbie Mainoo's 97th minute strike was enough to hand Manchester United a 4-3 win away at Wolves in what was a rollercoaster of a clash.
Erik ten Hag's men made the trip to the Molineux aiming for their first league win away from home since late November. Things got off to the ideal start when man of the moment (for all the wrong reasons) Marcus Rashford notched his fifth goal of the season inside the opening five minutes.
Just over 15 minutes later and the visitors were two goals to the good. It was by no means the greatest goal young Rasmus Hojlund will ever score, but they all count. The Dane was on hand to deflect the ball home after Luke Shaw's ground cross sqiurmed past Jose Sa.
In truth, United could have been out of sight within the first 30 minutes. Hojlund nearly had another when he intercepted a Sa clearance, while Bruno Fernandes will feel he should have done better with his strike that bobbled past the upright.
Hojlund had the ball in the back of the net on the stroke of half-time, slotting another strike through the legs of the Wolves keeper, but just mis-timed his run from Alejandro Garnacho's pass and was deemed offside. Casemiro also thought he'd headed home a third, but he too had gone too early and United had two goals ruled out in two minutes.
A second-half penalty handed Wolves hope of a memorable comeback, but Scott McTominay's header dented some of the optimism within the ground - not all of it, mind you. Max Kilman's strike inside the United area found the back of the net via deflections off of Onana and Diogo Dalot and the Red Devils were under the cosh once again.
And sure enough, Wolves dreams were realised when Neto arrowed home a 95th minute equaliser following a swift counter attack from a United corner. The goal sparked wild celebrations inside the stadium from a home faithful that never ever gave up home.
But there was one more dagger in store. Kobbie Mainoo, a shining light in what has been an otherwise drab season for United, was on hand to sidefoot a striker into the corner and ensure Ten Hag's men won a certified Premier League classic.
Mirror Football has analysed the turbulent affair and identified some of the game's main talking points.
Rashford's return
It had to be him didn't it. After days of discussion about his conduct off the pitch, it took Rashford just four minutes to open the scoring with a strike that played to the narrative of this contest perfectly.
United's No. 10 returned to the starting line-up for the first time since his night out in Belfast cost him two-weeks wages and he was omitted from the match-day squad for the FA Cup tie at Newport County.
Ahead of the game, Ten Hag made clear that in his eyes the case was 'closed' and he backed that up by naming Rashford in his starting eleven at the Molineux. The forward repaid his manager in the most effective way possible, rifling home a strike that left Jose Sa diving at thin air.
Rashford opened up his right-boot and guided his effort into the top corner after a neat cut-back from team-mate Rasmus Hojlund. The goalscorer barely broke into a smile, but he'll know he couldn't have asked for a better start.
He maintained that momentum long after his goal, with Rashford playing with the kind of intensity that suggests he felt like he had something to prove.
Hojlund finding his feet
So much was made of Hojlund's struggles during the first half of the season. There was plenty of pressure on the former Atalanta man, particularly because of his eye-watering £72million fee.
As a result, 14 league games without a goal meant Hojlund was starting to attract his critics. However, the 20-year-old now has three goals in United's last four league outings, with his close-range effort against Wolves coming after more impressive strikes against Aston Villa and Tottenham respectively.
Though this latest goal won't be winning any awards, it did show that Hojlund boasts the positional awareness required of any top-tier striker. By making the run, he was on hand to capitalise on some unfortunate goalkeeping from Sa.
Hojlund ensured he was a constant thorn in the side of the Wolves backline and nearly left Matt Doherty red-faced when he came oh so close to taking advantage of a shoddy back-pass.
More penalty drama
Any Chelsea fans watching this clash may wonder how Wolves were awarded a spot-kick for what looked like minimal contact, but the Blues had two stronger calls waved away on Wednesday night.
Casemiro didn't seem to make too much contact with the shin of Pedro Neto, but referee Jarred Gillet had his on-field decision backed up by Paul Tierney in the VAR room at Stockley Park and it was up to Pablo Sarabia to hand Wolves a lifeline.
That is exactly what the second-half substitute did, not letting the pressure that built up during the lengthy VAR check get to him. Sarabia stepped up and calmly slotted his spot-kick down the middle, beyond the despairing dive of Onana.
McTominay's magic
He may not always get the plaudits he deserves, but Scott McTominay made a huge impact off the bench once again this season for United.
Just moments after Sarabia had pulled one back for the hosts, McTominay headed home from a corner to restore the Red Devils' two-goal cushion and kill some of the momentum Wolves had built up after scoring the dubious penalty.
It wasn't the most clinically taken header, with the ball bouncing into the turf before springing up into the top corner and leaving Sa rooted to the spot. However, neither McTominay nor Ten Hag will care too much about that.
Wolves left wondering
For the first 50 minutes of this contest, Gary O'Neil's side were comfortably second best to a superior United side. And yet, after that point, they showed what they were made of and started to strut their stuff.
The likes of Neto, Matheus Cunha and Mario Lemina all put in impressive displays for the bulk of the second period to make this a far more even affair.
Wolves had even managed to cancel out their slow start with Neto's strike, only to let the points slip away once again with Mainoo's moment of magic in the last knockings of the game.
Mainoo's mercurial moment
Mainoo won't get many better feelings than that for the rest of what promises to be an incredible carer if recent performances are anything to go by.
The 18-year-old's composed finish defied his years, but ensured United won a thrilling affair. He enjoyed a stellar performance regardless of the goal, showing composure time and time again in possession.
It was a goal that the most experienced of strikers would have been proud of, nutmegging Kilman before curling his driven strike past Sa to send the away end into pandemonium.
What this result means for the table
Defeats to both Brighton and Chelsea in mid-week means United have been able to gain some ground on sides around them in the table with this victory.
Following the triumph at the Molineux, Ten Hag's United now move from ninth to seventh in the table, leapfrogging both the Seagulls and Eddie Howe's Newcastle.
As for Wolves, they now sit 11th in the table, two points adrift of struggling Chelsea who are one place above them. The sense of defleation from everone associated with the club, from O'Neil, to the players and the fans was palpable come full-time.
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