In one of the most shocking results of the Premier League season so far, lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers pulled off a stunning 1-0 upset over mighty Manchester United at Molineux Stadium on Thursday. The win marked an unforgettable debut for new Wolves manager Vitor Pereira and sent the Red Devils spiraling further into crisis mode.
United entered the match in 13th place, their lowest position entering the busy festive period since 1986-87. But even that dismal standing flattered a side that has looked completely bereft of confidence and direction in recent weeks.
Those struggles were on full display again versus a Wolves team that started the day in the relegation zone but looked anything but intimidated by their more illustrious opponents. Led by the tireless running and fearless dribbling of sparkplug midfielder Matheus Cunha, Wolves took the attack to a sluggish United from the opening whistle.
Larsen’s lone strike sinks United
The breakthrough finally came for the hosts in the 56th minute, as an incisive pass from Cunha split open United’s disorganized defense. Jens Larsen raced onto the through ball, cut inside the scrambling Leny Yoro, and calmly slotted a low shot past the outstretched arm of Andre Onana to send Molineux into raptures.
Shell-shocked United had no answer. Manager Erik ten Hag threw on young attacking talents like Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee, but Wolves’ backline held firm. The closest the visitors came was a speculative long-range effort from Bruno Fernandes that sailed harmlessly over the crossbar.
When the final whistle blew on Wolves’ famous victory, boos rained down from the away end as United’s players skulked off in despair. Ten Hag could only stare blankly at the pitch, looking like a man completely out of answers for his team’s accelerating nosedive.
More misery for Manchester United
This latest humiliation comes on the heels of United’s embarrassing 4-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on Boxing Day. Ten Hag’s men have now lost three straight in the league by a combined score of 8-1. They sit a distant 12 points adrift of the top four, with even securing a Europa League place for next season looking increasingly unlikely.
Right now it feels like we’ve hit rock bottom. The lads are devastated in there. To lose to a team near the bottom of the table, with the talent we have… it’s just unacceptable. Wholesale changes are needed.”
– Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes
Questions will only intensify about Ten Hag’s future and the direction of the club under the Glazer ownership. United have not mounted a serious title challenge in a decade and look further than ever from returning to their perch at the summit of English football. Cristiano Ronaldo’s acrimonious exit, the lack of a coherent transfer strategy and structure – the problems run far deeper than the manager, but Ten Hag is undoubtedly on the hot seat after overseeing such a dispiriting run of form.
Pereira galvanizes Wolves
For Wolves, it was the perfect start to life under new manager Vitor Pereira. The Portuguese boss only took charge on Monday after the sacking of Steve Davis, but his impact was immediate and transformative.
Wolves played with an energy, intensity and fearlessness not seen yet this season. Pereira’s attacking 3-4-2-1 system gave creative license to key men like Cunha, Daniel Podence, and Goal Guedes. Defensively, Nathan Collins and Max Kilman formed an impenetrable wall at the heart of the back three.
The win, combined with other results, lifts Wolves out of the drop zone and up to 15th place. After looking utterly doomed for relegation, suddenly there is hope and belief coursing through Molineux that Pereira can engineer a great escape.
From the first minute, you could see the lads bought into what the gaffer wanted. The energy, the pressing, the quick passing – it was brilliant. If we keep playing like that, I have no doubt we’ll stay up. This is just the start for us under Vitor.
– Wolves captain Ruben Neves
Premier League landscape shifting
Wolves’ shock victory caps another wild and unpredictable matchday in the Premier League. Chelsea lost at home to Fulham in a West London derby, while Newcastle jumped into the top four with a clinical 3-0 dismantling of Aston Villa.
Liverpool remain top of the table entering the New Year, with Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Arsenal giving chase. But the sense of a wide-open title race persists, with no team able to find consistent form week in and week out.
At the bottom, Ipswich Town and Southampton look doomed for the drop, already 6 points from safety. But the battle to avoid that third relegation spot looks set to involve half the league, with the likes of Leicester, Everton, and yes, even rudderless Manchester United, at serious risk of the unthinkable.
Wolves vs Manchester United starting lineups
| Wolves XI | Man United XI |
| Sa; Doherty, S Bueno, Tito; Semedo, Andre, J Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Cunha; Larsen | Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Diallo, Fernandes; Hojlund |
Next up for resurgent Wolves is a trip to Brentford, while Manchester United will attempt to stop the rot when they host Ipswich Town. But on the evidence of today’s match, there won’t be many United fans counting on a victory, even against the league’s bottom feeders. Dark and uncertain days lie ahead at Old Trafford.
