Football Features

    Wolves 1-1 Man Utd: Every player rated as Solskjaer’s Molineux nightmare continues

    By Ben Green

    Published: 22:05, 19 August 2019

    Manchester United have once again come up short in the West Midlands after drawing 1-1 with Wolves.

    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side asserted an early iron grip on the match and were soon rewarded for their dominance after Anthony Martial fired into the roof of the net to give them a half time lead.

    https://audioboom.com/posts/7343141-chelsea-can-get-excited-about-n-golo-kante-s-messi-impression

    However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side turned it on after the interval and drew level courtesy of a ridiculously precise Ruben Neves curler to tie the scores and hand both sides a hard-fought point.

    It was another entertaining evening between these two clubs at the Molineux Stadium, but how did the players rate?

    Wolverhampton Wanderers

    Rui Patricio – 8 – Could do little to keep out Martial’s bullet strike, but turned hero in the second half to prevent Pogba scoring from the spot.

    Matt Doherty – 5 – Registered the least number of touches of any outfield player in the first half and was taken off at half time, though the suspicion is that he was suffering from illness.

    Ryan Bennett – 5 –  A loose pass in the first half nearly gifted Martial a goal while in the second half Rashford got the better of him to draw a yellow card – some solid defending at times overshadowed by one or two sloppy moments.

    Conor Coady – 5 – Held the fort well for large parts of the game, but like Bennett a susceptible piece of defending nearly cost Wolves the game were it not for United’s shortcomings in attack as Pogba missed the penalty.

    Willy Boly – 6 – The only of Wolves’ defensive trident not guilty of an aberration, while he also made more interceptions of the three and three successful tackles.

    Jonny Otto – 7 – One of the main reasons for James’ tentative start was Otto, with the buccaneering full-back standing his ground well on the touchline and giving the young Welshman very little breathing room.

    Leander Dendoncker – 5 – Nothing spectacular from the Belgian who was a passenger for a big chunk of the game as United dominated possession, while he was also dispossessed more than any of his teammates.

    Ruben Neves – 7 – Wasn’t able to dictate the tempo in the opening 45 as United ramped up the pressure, but came alive after the restart and netted a quite breathtaking and trademark finish to level proceedings.

    Joao Moutinho – 6 – A solid  game from the Portuguese central midfielder who looked composed whenever the ball found his path, while he also provided the decisive assist of the match.

    Diogo Jota – 5 – Alongside Dendoncker, dispossessed more than any Wolves player on the pitch, but that was mainly down to the imperious defending of Wan-Bissaka, otherwise a more subdued performance from the usually threatening forward.

    Key stat: Diogo Jota attempted more take-ons (6) without successfully completing one than any other player for either side.

    Raul Jimenez – 7 – Became the first player to take-on Maguire in a United shirt with a sublime galloping run and nearly breached De Gea’s net with a timely header, but the woodwork would deny him – his link-up play was also exquisite.

    Substitutions: 

    Adama Traore (for Doherty 45) – 7 – Injected life into Wolves after coming on at half time, winning both the free-kick that led to Jimenez’s header and the corner for Neves’ equaliser.

    Pedro Neto (for Jota 86) – N/A – Came on in the dying embers.

    Patrick Cutrone (for Jimenez 91) – N/A – Brought on in stoppage time.

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    Manchester United

    David De Gea – 6 – A virtual spectator for the first half, but could do little as Neves curled a delectable effort into his net.

    Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 8 – Brought in for his defensive qualities rather than his attacking prowess and he illustrated that innate skillset this evening as he was almost impenetrable on the flank.

    Key stat: Aaron Wan-Bissaka made more tackles (9) than any other player has in a single Premier League match in 2019/20 so far.

    Victor Lindelof – 6 – The less assured of United’s centre-backs with his distribution questionable at times, but looked solid for large parts alongside Maguire to keep Wolves at just two shots on target.

    Harry Maguire – 7 – Looked comfortable in possession and already at home in a United shirt, with the England international never afraid to break forward and initiate attacking moves.

    Luke Shaw – 6 – Surged forward in the first half in typical fashion, but had the ominous task of marking pace merchant Traore after the restart, and it was the former Barca winger’s impact which turned the tide.

    Scott McTominay – 5 – Certainly saw plenty of the ball, but was unable to make a significant dent in the match, unlike his midfield counterparts in opposition colours.

    Paul Pogba – 6 – A mixed game for the Frenchman, looking slick and dominant at times, but careless at others. Certainly done well to win the penalty, but squandered a glorious chance to clinch three points.

    Daniel James – 5 – Showed glimmers of his balletic gait and lightning quick pace, but this was a match in which the experienced Jonny Otto came out on top in this particular on-field battle.

    Jesse Lingard – 6 – The England international was lively in transition but just lacked that clinical edge to really unlock the door and provide his attacking teammates space to run into.

    Marcus Rashford – 7 – The best player in the first half with his brilliant run and nicely-weight pass setting up Martial for the opener but struggled to influence the game in the second half as Wolves upped the tempo.

    Anthony Martial – 7 – Took time to get into the match but came alive in the 27th minute, collecting the ball from Rashford before rifling the ball past Patricio to bring up 50 in a United shirt, but like Rashford, waned as the match went on.

    Substitutions:

    Juan Mata (for Lingard 81) – 5 – Came on with only 10 minutes left and didn’t really have enough time to influence the match.

    Mason Greenwood (for James 89) – N/A – Not enough time to stamp his authority.

    Andreas Pereira (for Rashford 89) – N/A – Again, not enough time to make an impact.

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