Manchester United ended their losing streak in the Premier League with 11 points as they drew 1-1 at home to Wolves.
It was a dismal showing for Reuben Amorim’s side on a night when a win could have propelled them into the top four, but they hardly deserved a point as Rob Edwards picked up his first points as Wolves’ head coach in just his eighth attempt.
After beating Newcastle with a back four, Amorim returned to his favored three-man defense for the visit of Wolves, and United took the lead when Joshua Zirkzee’s shot deflected off Ladislav Krejci. Moments later, Benjamin Sesco hit the post.
But United, seeking their first back-to-back clean sheets under Amorim, needed a good save from Hugo Bueno from Senne Lamence before Krejci equalized after Zirkzee’s errant clearance to allow Wolves to come back.
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Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee puts his team ahead with a deflected goal against Wolves
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Ladislav Kureishi brings Wolves level with Manchester United
Wolves ended the first half with more shots on target and more touches inside the opponent’s box. United dominated in the second half but created few chances, with their best chance coming when Jose Sa had to head home a defender on the line.
Patrick Dorg’s goal in the 90th minute was ruled out for offside, but it would have been worth little considering it was Lammen who produced the better stop. Amorim’s substitutions, including that of Aiden Haven, only baffled the home crowd.
United missed out on a chance to progress into the top four after failing to win against a team that had lost their previous 12 games in all competitions. The Wolves are still in dire straits, but this was only their third goal of the season. But it was their night. And Amorim faces doubts.
Martinez: This game can’t be drawn.
Manchester United captain Lisandro Martinez told Sky Sports.
“I’m really disappointed. We can’t come here at home and draw this game. When we play at home, we have to win and our opponents are going to suffer. It’s very frustrating.”
Amorim: We lacked creativity.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim told Sky Sports.
“We struggled throughout the game, we lacked creativity but we knew it was going to be a different game to Newcastle.
“We had a different energy during the game. If you look at the game, we had chances, but we lacked connection and fluidity.
“The game was completely different than last time. We had more people behind the ball, but when you have more people behind the ball you have to work harder and be more imaginative to play the game in a different way. We lacked that quality.”
“The players worked hard. We didn’t play well and if you don’t play well with the ball, you struggle without the ball. We need to recover and go to the next game.”
Neville: The painful aftermath of Amorim
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Gary Neville reacted to Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Wolves on his podcast.
Gary Neville on Sky Sports at Old Trafford:
“There will be a painful aftermath for Ruben Amorim. He will point to injuries and AFCON, but every team is in the same situation. We don’t know what happened to Zirksee. If he is not injured, it would be a strange substitution.”
Edwards: At least a draw is a given.
Wolves manager Rob Edwards told Sky Sports:
“We had some good chances. At least we got something out of this game. That’s progress. But yeah, I think a draw would suck tonight.”
“At the beginning of the day we came here to win, we really believed. It’s really difficult to lose 1-0 at Old Trafford, but we kept fighting and found a way to recover before half-time.
“We could have gotten more out of the game, but overall there was a desire from the players and that’s why the fans were happy at the end.”
