Man Utd 2-0 Wolves: Antony stars again as Red Devils take another step towards Champions League
Manchester United moved four points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool thanks to their 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
Anthony Martial gave the hosts the lead in the first half, tapping in from close range having been set up by Antony, and for some time that looked to be the only goal of the game. But Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench to score in second-half injury time, giving Man Utd a comfortable lead in what, truthfully, wasn’t the best of matches.
The Red Devils are also level on points with third-placed Newcastle, while Wolves remain 13th and safe from relegation.
Here’s how the players rated at Old Trafford:
Manchester United
David de Gea – 5 – Gave the ball away early on but wasn’t punished, and that’s where De Gea’s action ended as Wolves did not test him.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 8 – Another Wan-Bissaka performance, completely locking down Wolves’ left flank so they had to play down the other wing. His position at right-back gives Antony the freedom to roam, knowing Wan-Bissaka is behind him protecting the defence.
Victor Lindelof – 7 – Looked solid defensively though he had a quiet afternoon.
Raphael Varane – 7 – Relished his battle with Costa, you wouldn’t have guessed this was Varane’s first game back after injury with the Frenchman looking strong and composed.
Luke Shaw – 7 – Busy up against Semedo, but did well to keep the Portuguese fullback under control. Produced a good tackle on Neto to stop counter, and held firm against Hwang in the second half.
Casemiro – 7 – A standard Casemiro display, keeping things ticking over in the Man Utd midfield. Linked well with Fernandes and produced a good pass to the Portuguese midfielder in the build up to Martial’s goal.
Christian Eriksen – 5 – Was pretty quiet throughout the came, not really getting ahold of the ball or influencing the midfield.
Antony – 8 – Man Utd’s best attacking outlet and player once again. Lively throughout and really deserved a goal for his performance, testing Bentley a few times. Had an opportunity to score in the first half but was very unselfish to pass to Martial, who did open the scoring. Produced a great run down the flank from box-to-box just before half time but his pass option did eventually let him down. There’s still a lot to come from him, but Antony is great.
Bruno Fernandes – 8 – Wonderful pass to Antony after a one-two with Casemiro, having initially come out on top in 50-50 battle. Led well and was tireless in his box-to-box role, picking up an assist in injury-time with an excellent through ball to Garnacho.
Jadon Sancho – 5 – Not in the game at all but forced Bentley into a good save after showing a slight glimmer of what he can do.
Anthony Martial – 6 – Put Man Utd ahead with a cool finish, only needing to beat a defender on the line, but he wasn’t the focal point Man Utd need. Too static off the ball and on another day it could have cost his side. He wasn’t bad, you just want more from him.
Substitutes:
Wout Weghorst (for Martial 69) – 5 – Didn’t bring anything new after coming on.
Harry Maguire (for Varane 81) – N/A – A late sub.
Fred (for Eriksen 81) – N/A – A late sub.
Alejandro Garnacho (for Sancho 81) – N/A – A late sub but still had time to double Man Utd’s lead on his return.
Sky Bet offer: How to get £30 in free bets from a 5p wager
Not signed up to Sky Bet yet? The bookmaker has arguably the most generous welcome offers we know about. Eligible new customers get £30 in free bets when they sign up and place any qualifying bet of 5p or more.
- Sign up at Sky Bet using this link
- Place any qualifying bet of 5p or more
- Claim your £30 bonus
NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY. 5P MINIMUM STAKE. ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 3 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS EXCLUDE VIRTUALS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. FREE BETS EXPIRE AFTER 30 DAYS. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+. GambleAware.ORG
Wolves
Daniel Bentley – 8 – The surprise name in the Wolves starting XI, making his debut for the club, Bentley did well and pulled off a handful of good saves. He’s given Lopetegui something to think about, even with conceding two goals — which he could do nothing about.
Nelson Semedo – 7 – Looked dangerous going forward and gave Shaw a busy afternoon but he was let down by his attacking teammates.
Craig Dawson – 6 – Busy but held firm and looked to bring the ball out a couple of times.
Max Kilman – 5 – Rushed in to challenge Fernandes in the midfield but lost the 50-50 and just jogged back as Man Utd attacked and scored through Martial. Not the best afternoon.
Toti – 6 – Had his work cut out for him against Antony, and any full-back would struggle when the Brazilian is in this kind of form, but he held his own at times. Left Antony in space for Man Utd’s goal though as he pushed towards Fernandes to prevent the Portuguese having an open run at goal.
Matheus Nunes – 5 – Overshadowed in the midfield, unable to have any real impact.
Ruben Neves – 5 – Was good when Wolves had a bit of control on the ball but lacking off it. Did also have a poor pass which could’ve led to a Man Utd goal.
Mario Lemina – 5 – Sat just in front of the Wolves defence and did an okay job, but Man Utd didn’t really test them.
Pedro Neto – 5 – Had a couple of moments of promise, but not enough to warrant Lopetegui keeping him on for the second half. Not the same player since his injury.
Matheus Cunha – 6 – Dangerous at times and Man Utd knew what he could do, as three different players tried bringing him down during a good run on the break in the first half. But he didn’t trouble the Man Utd goal.
Diego Costa – 5 – Definitely more of a hold up striker than a goalscorer now, but that’s not what Wolves need. Threw himself about a bit but was no threat to De Gea.
Substitutes:
Hwang Hee-chan (for Neto 45) – 6 – Was involved almost immediately in the Wolves attack but didn’t have the killer touch.
Daniel Podence (for Cunha 61) – 5 – Didn’t really make much of an impact after coming on. You could’ve been forgiven for not knowing he was on the pitch.
Hugo Bueno (for Toti 61) – 5 – Filled in for Toti defensively, but struggled against Antony.
Adama Traore (for Lemina 75) – 5 – Had one good run but didn’t bring the change Lopetegui would have hoped for. Just four touches of the ball.
Raul Jimenez (for Costa 78) – 5 – Didn’t really get involved in his short time on the pitch.
