On the last days of 2020, Manchester United edged Wolves 1-0, and the match turned on a single deflected strike from Marcus Rashford, a goal that delivered three points more than it delivered comfort. It is the kind of result that fills a calendar as much as a table: a side wrestling with its own habits, a manager reshuffling his pieces in search of rhythm, and a crowd of observers quick to judge the means while grateful for the end. Whether patience of this sort is a virtue or merely a luck that has not yet run out is a question the season will answer in its own time.
Man United 1-0 Wolves: Rashford's deflected strike secures three points as Solskjaer's side grind out win
Too dilatory in making an attacking sub but prevailed through patience.
Mark
So the headline is Rashford's deflected goal. Is that really the story?
Mimi
It's the result, but the ratings tell you how it got there. Mostly sixes and sevens, a couple of fives, and a goal that arrived through a deflection.
Mark
Who comes out worst?
Mimi
Wan-Bissaka, Greenwood, Cavani and Martial all got fives. Wan-Bissaka's write-up calls him a passenger who was careless in defence.
Luke
Worth saying these are one newspaper's ratings. They're opinion, not measurement.
Mark
And Solskjaer's six changes?
Mimi
He wanted fresher legs. The criticism is that his attacking substitution came too late, though patience eventually paid off.
Luke
Whether the changes helped or hindered isn't something the piece actually demonstrates. It only says the sub was slow.
Mark
What about Rashford, who scored but was marked down for selfishness?
Mimi
Exactly that tension. A dive, a manager on his case about forward runs, then the winner.
Luke
And we don't know how much the deflection mattered. The ratings don't say who it came off.
Mimi
Fair. What's clear is Wolves had real chances, Saiss's header off the bar among them.
O Pulso
- Solskjaer's six changes raised eyebrows before a ball was kicked, and the first half stayed stubbornly goalless.
- Wolves found gaps on the counter, and Maguire's lack of pace left United scrambling to cover.
- Matic and Pogba steadied the midfield after the break, while Wan-Bissaka and Cavani drifted in and out of the contest.
- Rashford's deflected winner ended the deadlock, but the slow attacking substitutions have already become the talking point.
On the last days of 2020, Manchester United edged Wolves 1-0, and the match turned on a single deflected strike from Marcus Rashford, a goal that delivered three points more than it delivered comfort. It is the kind of result that fills a calendar as much as a table: a side wrestling with its own habits, a manager reshuffling his pieces in search of rhythm, and a crowd of observers quick to judge the means while grateful for the end. Whether patience of this sort is a virtue or merely a luck that has not yet run out is a question the season will answer in its own time.
Manchester United beat Wolves 1-0 at the end of December 2020, and the only goal came from a Marcus Rashford strike that took a deflection on its way in. It was a win that gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side three points without giving them much to admire, and the Manchester Evening News player ratings reflect that: mostly sixes and sevens, with the harshest marks reserved for the back line and the front.
Solskjaer began with six changes, and the first half stayed goalless. Maguire was exposed for lack of pace and had to resort to a cynical foul, while Saiss came closest for Wolves, with a header against the crossbar and a flick that De Gea read well. Wan-Bissaka had a difficult afternoon, and Cavani was often isolated in the box.
After the interval, Matic imposed himself on the midfield and neutered Adama Traore, and Pogba became more creative despite little room. Bruno Fernandes looked tired and wasted a chance from a Greenwood cross, while Martial had openings from the bench that he could not convert.
Rashford was the story of the afternoon, at times too selfish and frustrating, but he came good with the winner. Solskjaer himself was criticised for slow attacking changes, though patience eventually paid off. The real question now is whether that patience can cover for a slow attack and a defence that Wolves repeatedly found space against.
Manchester United beat Wolves 1-0 at the end of December 2020, and the only goal came from a Marcus Rashford strike that took a deflection on its way in. It was a game that gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side three points without giving them much to admire, and the Manchester Evening News player ratings reflect that: mostly sixes and sevens, with two fives at the front and one at the back.
The afternoon began with Solskjaer making six changes, an attempt to freshen up the team. The first half stayed goalless. Eric Bailly was careless early on but covered well for an error by Harry Maguire, and that kept the scoreline level at the break. Maguire, rated six, was found out by Wolves for lack of pace and had to commit a cynical foul that Romain Saiss nearly punished.
It was Saiss who came closest for Wolves otherwise. His header bounced off the crossbar, and David de Gea had it covered. The goalkeeper also reacted well to Saiss's instinctive flick, and earned a seven.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka had the harshest mark at the back. The ratings call him a passenger for large spells, impotent going forward and careless in defence, and give him a five. Alex Telles was proactive in the final third, though his crossing was rarely good enough for Edinson Cavani, and he made way for Luke Shaw at half-time. Shaw brought energy and again offered a threat from corners, and was rated seven.
In midfield, Nemanja Matic was frugal in possession and was exposed on the counter several times by Wolves. After the interval he imposed himself more and neutered Adama Traore, which earned him a seven. Paul Pogba, also a seven, became more creative in the second half despite having little room, and tested Rui Patricio with a firm strike.
Bruno Fernandes, rated six, looked tired and should have converted a cross from Mason Greenwood. He kept going and still claimed another assist. Greenwood, who supplied that cross, was rated five: too lightweight against a mean Wolves defence, and he ran down blind alleys.
Cavani, also a five, was often isolated. On one cross he found himself surrounded by three Wolves defenders in the six-yard box, and he had a goal ruled out for offside. Anthony Martial, off the bench, wasted a couple of good openings and also received a five.
Rashford got the decisive moment. He was too selfish with the ball at times, resorted to a desperate dive, and Solskjaer was on his case over a lack of forward runs. Then he came good with the winner and was rated seven. Solskjaer himself got a six: he was too slow to make an attacking substitution, but patience won out in the end.
The question that follows United is whether that patience can keep covering for a slow-moving attack and a defence that Wolves repeatedly found space against.
Citações Notáveis
Had Saiss's header that bounced off the crossbar covered and reacted well to his instinctive flick.— Manchester Evening News, on David de Gea
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