MANCHESTER UNITED staged a dramatic smash and grab at Molineux as Mason Greenwood nicked a late winner against Wolves.
David De Gea’s earlier double save gave the Reds the platform to go on and win while Fred’s performance, once again, left a lot to be desired.
United survived an early scare as Fred gifted Wolves possession on the break but Francisco Trincão’s effort was cleared on the line by Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
It was a high-energy first-half in which the Reds struggled to deal with Adama Traroe but both sides generally lacked the quality to to break the deadlock.
Wolves looked the most dangerous again after the break and should have taken the lead through Romain Saiss.
But De Gea’s heroics thwarted the defender and that left United with a chance.
And Greenwood secured the fortunate win with an equally fortunate effort as he fired a ball across the box and saw Jose Sa divert it into his own net rather than away from it.
And here’s what SunSport’s William Pugh though of the Red Devils’ individual performances.
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DAVID DE GEA – 9
Very little to do in the first-half. Was chipped by Trincao but bailed out by Wan-Bissaka.
Phenomenal double save in the second-half which was as good as a goal for his side.
Stopped Saiss’ header from point blank range before somehow keeping out the defender’s rebound from even closer.
Bruno Fernandes told cameras he was man-of-the-match after the final whistle.
AARON WAN-BISSAKA – 7
Didn’t offer much going forward and Traore had the beating of him – and most of his team-mates to be fair – in the first period.
Priceless block on the line when Trincao beat De Gea early on.
Another key intervention came in the air when he did enough to stop Raul Jimenez getting on the end of a dangerous Traore cross.
RAPHAEL VARANE – 6
Looked composed enough on his debut. United’s defence were put under a lot of pressure before half-time but the Frenchman was equal to it.
Particularly impressive when blocking a Traore cross before a mis-timed foul on Raul Jimenez saw him penalised.
Covered across well to block after Trincao got the better of Maguire and into a dangerous position early in the second period.
But bullied by Saiss in the air by Saiss before De Gea’s heroics saved his blushes.
HARRY MAGUIRE – 7
Some neat blocks early on. Nothing spectacular but didn’t put a foot wrong when dealing with Wolves’ impressive attacking intent.
Easily beaten by Trincao soon after the break which allowed the forward to burst into the box. Solid otherwise.
LUKE SHAW – 6
Seemed involved in a lot in the first-half but to no real avail. Impressive work rate though.
Took a painful one in the gonads after an enthralling mini-battle with Traore with 25 minutes to go.
FRED – 4
Gifted Trincao an early chance by fluffing a clearance when Wolves were on the break – was lucky the striker could not convert.
Seemed to get over-run by a Wolves side who were full of energy and countered dangerously.
Looked a second or two behind everyone and everything as he often does.
PAUL POGBA – 7
Played a delightful ball into Fernandes late in the first-half which the Portuguese lashed home – only to be flagged offside.
Jamie Carragher said he was ‘really poor in the first 40 minutes’ which seemed harsh. Improved after the break.
On an afternoon when his side lacked creativity, United looked most dangerous when Pogba was attempting long passes from deep.
Stung Sa’s palms with 15 to go.
JADON SANCHO – 5 (subbed 71 mins)
Gifted Wolves possession inside United’s box early on and was lucky Joao Moutinho blazed the resulting chance over the bar.
Couple of duff touches before the break but showed willingness to track back.
Not the most spectacular first start. He’d better hope Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t want to play on the wing.
BRUNO FERNANDES – 7
Got himself into dangerous positions as ever but blazed his best first-half chance over. Did have the ball in the net but was found to be offside.
Booked for dissent on 43 minutes for moaning about a free-kick awarded against Varane.
Stalled when played in by Pogba just before the hour mark. A quicker pass would have been the better option.
DAN JAMES – 7 (subbed 52 mins)
Worked his socks off amid talk of a loan to Leeds.
Probably United’s best player in the first 45 although slightly fortunate not to give away a penalty when he cleared out Trincao after the striker’s early chace.
Harshly subbed early in the second-half as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer threw Edinson Cavani on to try and swing the game in his side’s favour.
MASON GREENWOOD – 8 (subbed 88 mins)
Had very little to feed on before the break but kept plugging away. Dragged his best first-half opportunity wide on the stroke of half-time.
Persistence paid off with ten minutes to go as his right-footed effort across the goal was diverted into his own net by Sa.
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EDINSON CAVANI (replaced James) – 5
Quiet. Didn’t change much after he came on.
Biggest story was him having the No 7 on his back which many thought was going to be passed to Ronaldo.
ANTHONY MARTIAL (replaced Sancho) – 6
Reasonable impact. United scored soon after he came on and helped see the game out.
DIOGO DALOT (replaced Greenwood) – N/A
Not enough time to have an impact. Booked for a late challenge as his team held on for the win.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
