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Wolverhampton Wanderers, under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, secured a memorable 2-1 win against Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter final at their home Molineux stadium.
After a recent Premier League defeat to Arsenal, United was looking to bounce back, and potentially win the FA Cup. However, Nuno (who's surname, Espirito Santo, means Holy Spirit in English) and Wolves certainly are having a divine touch to their form.
Their performances against the top six sides have been stellar, and they arguably the best of the rest, as they lie in seventh on the league table. In various games, they've had positive results versus Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, and now Man United.
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Wolves have won the league and FA Cup before, although their last trophy was many years ago. 2019, however, could be a memorable season for them, and a potential FA Cup win for them would be grand, especially after just getting the promotion to the Premier League this season.
Manchester United fielded a strong side, but in this game overall were pretty flat. Their recent good form, which came apart at Arsenal, was missing again. Their top players, like Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford didn't really perform. Stand-in goalkeeper Sergio Romero made some good saves, but ultimately couldn't keep out Wolves' two strikes from Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota, which were enough to win the game.
Although Rashford scored a consolation goal in injury time, it was not enough, as Nuno Espirito Santo "out-tacticted" Solskjaer to secure a memorable semi-final appearance.
United was disappointing, but Wolves and Nuno showed they are more than competitive at the top level, With more investment, they can potentially get in the top six, or even top four.
A Europa League place is even possible, due to Chelsea losing to Man City in the League Cup final. This could mean an extra space in the league for the Europa League could be available, if Chelsea win the Europa League .
Solskjaer is facing his first major setback as United interim manager, even though it may not scupper his chances of securing the full-time position.
Either way, it was Wolves' day, and one they will remember for years to come.
Nuno "out-tacticted" Solskjaer
Wolves executed a high-energy, high-tempo, and high-paced attacking display to defeat Manchester United in this quarter final. The reward for this win is a semi-final vs. fellow Premier League side Watford at Wembley.
The first-half was static, though in the second period, Wolves increased the pressure on United's goal, with Romero executing a number of saves that his superior (as it were) David de Gea would be proud of.
However, the pressure told, and Wolves scored two goals to win the match.
The second from Jota was an excellent strike, in which he picked the ball up from the half-way line, and roasted Luke Shaw to slot in. Romero could have done better to save it, but by then the damage had already been done.
Espirito Santo had a defined plan in isolating Manchester United's weaknesses. Wolves are more than holding their own at the top-level, and whilst Manchester City are favourites to win the competition, Wolves could be a strong outside chance to win their first FA Cup in decades. And Nuno could be a potential candidate for top jobs at other clubs, including in England and beyond.
With a semi-final vs. Watford, they could be in the FA Cup final for the first time since 1960.
Solskjaer loses again, but gets it wrong tactically
Manchester United interim manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has made many positive moves in his winning run But as of now, he's been left unstuck tactically. This was apparent against Arsenal in the league, and now versus Wolves in the cup.
His team selection was fine, though the defence was often exposed. Luke Shaw was beaten comprehensively by Jota, who scored Wolves' second goal, and this case was an example of United's defensive frailties.
Wolves also showed greater energy and intensity in the second half, and to use a colloquialism, "they wanted it more" than United did.
After the good run, it doesn't mean that Ole is now a dud. However, it is an untimely bump, in what has been a good run of late.
The blessing is that it only means the Champions League quarter final (vs. Barcelona), and the top four Premier League race, are the only pursuits for United now. The former may be difficult to surmount, though the latter is attainable. It does mean that it's an unwelcome bounce back down to Earth for Ole and United, and a time to reflect and re-gather ahead of testing games to come.
Can Wolves win the FA Cup? What now for United?
Wolves' last major trophy was the 1980 League Cup win at the Old Wembley Stadium, in which current Bein Sports and former Sky Sports pundit Andy Gray scored the winner.
Whilst the rest of the 1980s was bad for Wolves, and they languished in the lower divisions for much of the 1990s, they are looking re-establish themselves as a regular Premier League force, despite a few appearances in the 2000s and 2010s. They have won the league several times in their history.
Could Wolves be returning to the big time once more, and emulate their 1980 success? Who knows? They clearly have a good manager in Nuno Espirito Santo and the financial/strategic backing of their owners. Fosun International, from China, is investing in a large way in the West Midlands-based club, and they could be a force in the near future. Manchester City at this point are favourites, and rightly so given their qualities. But Wolves could be a dark horse and bring back the FA Cup to their "den".
Manchester United, on the other hand, need to re-group somewhat. The winning run, after Jose Mourinho was sacked, was pleasing, though it was as much as a reinvigoration in the atmosphere than any supreme tactical nous.
Some have said, in both jest and seriousness, that Sir Alex Ferguson is assisting Solskjaer. Despite his recent health issues, Sir Alex is still an active executive director at United akin to fellow club legend Sir Bobby Charlton. and both offer advice, input, and counsel on various matters. Sir Alex has been said to visit the training groundand give team-talks to the players on occasion. And given his success and status at the club, it's perhaps naive to assume he's had zero input.
All the same, this defeat means a stronger focus on the top four and the Champions League. United are underdogs against Barca, and with Messi and Suarez et al, the Catalan club is always a threat. But anything is possible, and who knows, Ole may win the Champions League as a manager as his friend/mentor Sir Alex did. It may be a long shot, but even Ole's winner in the 1999 Champions League final was as improbable as it was memorable.
