Fewest touches, 2 big chances missed, 67% duels lost: Big-name United star simply did not look ready for this level vs Wolves

Manchester United had to be content with only a point from their Premier League encounter against bottom-side Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Tuesday. It was the home side who took the lead through Joshua Zirkzee, but the visitors equalised at the stroke of half-time, much like the reverse fixture. Ruben Amorim must have expected a repeat of what had transpired at the Molineux in the second 45 minutes, but a response never came. The head coach’s constant tactical tweaks and bizarre substitution calls played a part as the game ended 1-1 and with it, the Red Devils squandered a golden opportunity to climb to fourth in the standings. Glaring misses from Benjamin Sesko United were missing quite a few of their heavy hitters, but a bit more bravery was expected against a team which had acquired only two points before tonight. The fans will also feel disappointed with the display of their big-money signings like Casemiro, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko. On another night, the Slovenian would have had a hat-trick but under the lights against Wolves, one of his efforts hit the post, while he squandered two glorious 1v1 chances, including a late header. He was out there for 90 minutes, and completed a mere nine passes, while having 35 touches of the ball, the lowest among all outfielders who played for the whole game. Apart from the glaring misses, the Slovenian managed to win only four out of 12 duels he contested, and was dispossessed four times. Benjamin Sesko: INEOS have not learned their lesson He also completed only 40% of his dribbles, while being caught offside once. The ex-RB Leipzig ace took six shots in total, with four of them on target. StatisticValue Minutes played90 Goals0 Assists0 Total shots6 Accurate passes9/12 (75%) Chances created0 Expected goals (xG)0.37 Expected goals on target (xGOT)0.52 xG + xA0.37 Fantasy points2 Defensive contributions4 Shots on target4/6 (67%) Big chances missed2 Hit woodwork1 Touches35 Touches in opposition box8 Successful dribbles2/5 (40%) Offsides1 Dispossessed4 Non-penalty xG0.37 Tackles1 Blocks0 Clearances1 Interceptions0 Recoveries2 Dribbled past0 Ground duels won3/10 (30%) Aerial duels won1/2 (50%) Was fouled0 Fouls committed0 match stats via fotmob The 22-year-old also made one tackle and one clearance, while recovering the ball twice. He did battle gamely but the lack of finishing made it difficult not to criticise him. In fact, his overall stats and those glaring misses was reminiscent of the performances being put in by Rasmus Hojlund in the previous two seasons. While Benjamin Sesko has been much better than the Dane, the hard truth is INEOS have simply not learnt their lesson. Replacing an inexperienced striker with another without adequate backup was always a gamble, and as the current season rumbles on, the risk seems to have backfired pretty badly. Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25