Manchester United secured a 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers in an end to end contest.
Hosts Wolverhampton Wanderers secured second consecutive draw of the new campaign, with the scoreline reading 1-1 against Manchester United in Molineux. It was not a perfect set-up from both Nuno Santo and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in a sterile contest, as their sides were not able to stand at their best throughout the game, and performed only in some patches.
It was an end-to-end game and both the sides will be content with a point after producing an uncharacteristic display. However, Manchester United will be slightly on a vex mood following their incapability to convert a penalty in the second half.
The Red Devils, who looked in supreme control with the high pressing game, took the lead through their number 9, Anthony Martial. The Frenchman made no mistake when Luke Shaw passed the ball to him in a quick interchange. Former Monaco forward heaved the ball into the back of the net – handing no chance to the goalkeeper Rui Patricio.
There were no chances created until the score was equalized by Ruben Neves in the second half. The midfielder controlled the ball and swung his foot to pick out the top corner in the 55th minute. It was an extraordinary goal, and the scoreline remained unaltered until the final whistle, thanks to a penalty save from Rui Patricio off Paul Pogba in the second half.
We shall look at the five talking points in this 1-1 draw between the Red Devils and Wolves.
#1 Adama Traore took the game away from Manchester United
Manchester United were quick to closing Matt Doherty down in the first half. The Irish struggled to create chances and was left isolated at times. This forced Nuno Santo to deploy Adama Traore through the right-wing in the second half.
The Spanish International, who has an abundance of pace, proved to be the decisive factor in Wolves’ comeback into the game. He kept on toiling with the Red Devils defence, which looked unconventional in the early stages of the second half and sought help from their forwards.
He completed plenty of dribbles and his substitution is the changing moment in the game. Albeit showcasing his breakneck pace, his creativity gave Wolves a cutting edge in the second half.
#2 Martial as number 9 is fine, but he needs to work hard
Anthony Martial is an enigmatic character inside the Manchester United dressing room. The 22-year-old has been on the receiving end last season, but saw his career getting transformed under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Norwegian repeatedly kept on playing the forward through the left flank, proving to be ineffective. Nevertheless, the decision to play him through the middle is working wonders as the striker found the back of the net in a stupendous fashion in the first half.
In a nice interplay between Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial, the Red Devils forward was in an advanced position ahead of others. He struck the ball sweetly to take the ball over Rui Patricio and break the deadlock in the 27th minute.
During the early stages of the second half, Wolves took total control and got the much-deserved equalizer. The failure of the Manchester United forwards, including Anthony Martial, proved to be the nail in the coffin. In later stages of the game, Marcus Rashford tracked back to assist the full-back, but Martial stood stubborn in the middle and nullified himself.
#3 Ruben Neves needs just one moment
The pros and cons of Ruben Neves is not a secret to the entire world. The midfielder has one of the best shooting boots in the world, which once again came to Wolverhampton’s rescue in the second part of the game.
Due to persistent pressing in the first half, Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielders struggled for pace and rhythm of the game. It was not an extraordinary game from the Portuguese International as he lacked usual solidity in the defensive aspect of his game.
In the second half, however, the midfielder who took a tested David De Gea once before bagging the equalizer, was not prepared to rest on the laurels. When the ball found the former Porto midfielder, he took some time to control the ball and find the top corner, which proved to be a daunting task for David De Gea.
He did not look at his best in the entire game, but seized the moment and assisted them to procure their second point of the new Premier League season.
#4 Aaron Wan-Bissaka was United’s best player by a mile
New signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka did not do much wrong against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 1-1 draw. The right-back did not give space and room for Jonny and Diogo Jota to exploit through the right side of the Red Devils defence.
There were no deliveries through the left-wing as the defender kept the opponents in check with constant running to track back and win tackles in a committed display. United’s number 29 also created two chances in the second half, but it went down begging, with Jesse Lingard being the culprit. Although the forward had time and shot to test Rui Patricio, he failed to produce a decent shot. Wan-Bissaka’s second ball got a slight touch off Willy Boly, but lack of sharpness from Jesse Lingard proved to be the decisive factor once again.
He controlled the right side of the defence and looked astute defensively. His attacking threat did not look significant, but created two clear-cut chances, which were not able to convert by Lingard.
#5 Jesse Lingard and Daniel James offer nil creativity
Solskjaer must stick with Paul Pogba as number 10 once again. When the Frenchman acted as a creative hub for the front three, there was no shortage of supply for the Red Devils.
However, Solskjaer has tweaked his tactics which sees the former Juventus midfielder play as a deep-lying midfielder. Pogba, who is renowned for his offensive play, rarely gets indulged in the final third. In the second half, the midfielder produced an energetic run from the midfielder and ran into the penalty box, where he was brought down by Conor Coady.
Manchester United must aim to maximise his usage and slot Nemanja Matic into the starting eleven. Jesse Lingard was completely out of shape, while Daniel James had only pace – meaning that the lack of creativity played a huge part in this result. Paul Pogba will be able to deliver when it matters in that important position.
