Manchester United left Molineux with hearts racing and three points in their pocket after a rollercoaster night that saw Wolves briefly roar back to life before Erik ten Hag’s side seized control.
The 4-1 scoreline flattered the visitors at times, but when the dust settled, United had climbed to sixth in the Premier League and left a troubled Wolves deeper in crisis.
The evening began with a statement. A sizeable chunk of Wolves supporters delayed their entrance for 15 minutes in protest at the club’s Chinese ownership, leaving the South Bank eerily sparse and a 'Shi out' banner fluttering above a simmering crowd.
That charged atmosphere was matched on the pitch when Jean-Ricner Bellegarde ended Wolves’ 540-minute goal drought, tapping in after a mis-hit from David Møller Wolfe fell kindly into his path. For a moment, the script looked like an upset.
United had been wasteful in the first half, carving out openings they failed to finish. A bizarre moment from captain Bruno Fernandes — a comical miscue born of a loose touch — underlined how sloppy the visitors could be.
Yet those missed chances only delayed the inevitable. United peppered the Wolves goal, finishing the night with 27 shots and 10 on target, numbers that hinted at dominance even when the scoreboard didn’t.
The second half flipped the game. Luke Shaw’s crunching tackle on Bellegarde sparked a lightning counter that ended with Diogo Dalot teeing up Bryan Mbeumo for a simple finish — a rare Wolves lapse that United punished.
From there, Mason Mount produced a moment of pure class, controlling a chipped pass from Fernandes and drilling home to make it 3-1 — the first time United had led by two away goals in the league since March. An 82nd-minute penalty, coolly dispatched by Fernandes after a VAR handball call, sealed United’s biggest win of the season.
The result spared Wolves head coach Rob Edwards further immediate humiliation, but the night belonged to unrest. Chants against chairman Jeff Shi echoed around Molineux as the club slumped to an eighth straight defeat, matching an unwanted record from 1981-82.
Fans booed and cheered managerial substitutions in equal measure; the decision to withdraw striker Jørgen Strand Larsen drew loud approval but did nothing to alter the club’s fate. Ownership tensions — and the owners’ stated plan to seek minority investment rather than sell — mean the gulf between boardroom and terraces looks set to widen unless communication improves fast.
United’s performance was a study in persistence: they created relentlessly and finally converted when it mattered. Sam Johnstone produced several fine saves for Wolves, and a goal-line clearance kept the scoreline honest at one stage, but the gulf in quality was clear. Wolves’ season has become a fight for dignity rather than survival; with just two points and 13 from safety, relegation looms large.
