Marcus Rashford injury-time goal against Wolves moved the Red Devils up to the second in the table although the striker has warned against “stupid” Premier League title win talks.
United vs Wolves match on Tuesday seemed destined to be a 0-0 draw when Rashford took possession on the edge of the area near to the goal-line. However, after cutting inside the box, the striker let fly with a left-footed shot that deflected off Romain Saiss to leave shot-stopper Patricio on the wrong foot.
With the 1-0 win, United are now two points behind Liverpool having played an equal number of games. This is as close as they have been to the top of the table at this stage of the season since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
“We can’t look too far ahead”. Said Rashford.
“We are a team that is still doing a lot of work on ourselves. To be looking at the table so early on in the season is a bit stupid of us. We have to take it one game at a time and if we can keep finding ways to win this, we will see where we are at the end of the season”.
With Solskjaer having predicted a tough affair, it proved as his defense was the equal of a Wolves attack that is still in struggle without Raul Jimenez. Unusually for Solskjaer, Fernandes was wasteful when Greenwood picked him out with a deep cross before half-time.
Such chances tend to find the net at the Portuguese’s feet although this was turned away by Patricio. On the other hand, Rashford and Martial wasted a couple of chances and although Cavani did have the ball in the net, the Uruguayan was correctly ruled offside.
Another Good One for Pedro Neto.
Although the night did not end well for Wolves, it was another good one for forward Pedro Neto. Manager Nuno has been trying to play down expectations around the 20-year-old who is only just starting to get exposed to senior football after a handful of appearances in his native Portugal for Braga and during a loan spell at Lazio.
Glenn Hoddle and Jamie Redknapp have both spoken highly of Neto in recent days, and while his diminutive stature was ill-suited to the center-forward role he was handed, there was more evidence at Old Trafford of a potential star in the making.
Either through his own shot that tested De Gea or the inspired leave that created one for Ruben Neves, Neto shows he is always thinking.
The reverse pass that found Rayan Ait-Nouri in a packed penalty area was inspired even if it brought no reward.
Neto is getting used to the physical side of the game too – he was accidentally caught in the face by Nemanja Matic, which brought a shout of pain as the game continued without him.
He might have done better when he raced clear just before half-time, only to find Harry Maguire in his way as he tried to step inside to create more room for a shot, but the teenager continued to find pockets of space after the break before he was eventually replaced.
To underline the evolution of this Wolves team, 18-year-old former Liverpool defender Ki-Jana Hoever made his first Premier League start, as did 20-year-old Vitinha – a pass that nutmegged Pogba was the highlight of his 54-minute appearance.
Not that it will be much consolation after such a disappointing end to the evening for Wolves.
“This is football and a learning process,” Nuno said.
“It’s cruel in the moment but you can’t stay feeling sorry – you have to move forward. We created chances, sometimes we should finish more.”
It hurts a lot to lose so late – Nuno