Manchester United 1-0 Wolves: 5 Talking Points as Red Devils go second with late win | Premier League 2020-21 

#3 Both teams fail to pick out the final pass

Bruno Fernandes' balls over the top of the Wolves' defense failed to find his teammates.

One expected the second half to be far more open-ended and direct, but it was not to be as Manchester United and Wolves failed to apply the finishing touches to well-crafted attacking moves.

Pogba and Fernandes tried to create chances over the top of the Wolves backline, only to be beaten by a superior away team in the air.

Wolves, too, had their opportunities to break away. A clear lack of precision in their passing, coupled with indecisive moments concerning the weight in their passes, led to a turnover in possession.

Having said that, they defended much better than Manchester United, denying them any space in the channels. Their contain-and-counter approach took the sting out of United's attack.

Man Utd v Wolves is so bad I want to ask Amazon Prime to refund my annual fee.

— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) December 29, 2020

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#4 Rashford leaves it late to win it for United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United moved to second in the Premier League table.

Wolves proved to be a stern defensive test overall, but Marcus Rashford had other ideas in the third minute of extra time.

Manchester United's performance was encapsulated by slow build-up, poor final touches, and the inability to get Edison Cavani involved.

Their problems against Wolves seemed to continue until Fernandes picked Rashford out with a beautiful long ball. The English forward cut inside onto his left foot and scored through a deflection off arguably Wolves' best player, Saiss.

So the man of the year @MarcusRashford finishes his year with another headline winning goal.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) December 29, 2020

A 1-0 result may appear like a tough one for Nuno's charges, who defended excellently, kept hold of the game without the ball, and had their share of sights on a goal.

Saiss, a true contender for the Man of the Match award, was their most likely goalscorer. It speaks volumes of the defender's versatility and underlines Wolves' struggles in front of goal in the absence of star forward Raul Jimenez.

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#5 Manchester United end the festive period as the best team in the division

Manchester United was the most consistent team in the festive period.

It could be safe to say Manchester United finished the Christmas period as the best team in the English top-flight.

A surging, optimistic young squad shepherded by Solskjaer seems to be catching red-hot form at a time when teams are suffering from congested fixtures and injury concerns.

OGS has now won a Premier League game against 22 out of the 24 teams he has faced as Man Utd manager:W̶o̶l̶v̶e̶s̶ArsenalLiverpoolThey play the last two next month. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/v8H5MtWJhV

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) December 29, 2020

They have won the big games, come back from behind multiple times and now, held their nerve to grind out a key victory.

It illustrates the different dimensions of this Manchester United side, along with a sense of improvement in their otherwise underwhelming home form.

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