Fernandes naivety sets up Man United for third straight loss
Nick Judd, Transfer writerDec 26, 2024, 03:05 PM ET
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Manchester United started their Boxing Day encounter at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 13th place in the Premier League, their lowest position at Christmas since 1986-87. They finished the day in 14th after the home side got their second consecutive win under new manager Vitor Pereira, their 2-0 victory coming courtesy of a Matheus Cunha Olimpico and a goal from Hwang Hee-chan in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time.
United had started brightly at Molineux and enjoyed the lion’s share of the early exchanges without really penetrating the Wolves defence. Their wastefulness in possession was punished, as Wolves grew into the game and took it to the visitors.
The match all changed in the 46th minute, when United skipper Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a second bookable offence with a foul on Nélson Semedo. Wolves were buoyed by the extra man, and took advantage soon after, Cunha’s corner evading everyone, including André Onana, to drop in at the far post. Wolves had already had a goal disallowed, but they added a second at the death when Hwang converted from Cunha’s break and subsequent pass.
Another disappointing afternoon at the office for Ruben Amorim.
Positives
Amorim will have been pleased with how his side started the match, pressing the home side in key areas and creating half chances. Unfortunately, there were few other positives for the United boss.
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Negatives
United simply looked unbalanced throughout. Amorim will be concerned by the way his team allowed Wolves back into the game after enjoying such a positive start. In particular, he’ll be frustrated by his side’s lack of potency going forward. He’ll also be bemoaning his captain’s red card, which put his side under immense pressure for the best part of 43 minutes.
Manager rating out of 10
Ruben Amorim, 5 — He made just two changes to his starting lineup, the fewest tweaks since he joined the club. It looks as though he’s edging closer to his preferred XI, but you get the impression the January transfer window can’t come soon enough for the 39-year-old manager. Had to switch things around following the red card, but his triple substitution and two late changes had little effect.
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