Back in business: United thump Wolves 4-1 thanks to dazzling second-half performance

Manchester United earned a convincing 4-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium on Monday night. While Man United have a habit of losing their lead and dropping points as a result, they broke the cycle by picking themselves up after losing their one-goal advantage and producing a relentless attacking masterclass to secure a resounding victory. First half Four minutes in, United came close to scoring when Bruno Fernandes thumped a corner kick toward the goal, only for Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone to tip the shot out of danger. Diogo Dalot came close to scoring when he beat the offside trap to get on the end of a long ball from Fernandes. While Dalot did well to cut into the box from the left, the Wolves keeper parried the ball out for a corner. Bryan Mbeumo attempted a shot to force yet another save from the Wolves’ shot-stopper. Just ten minutes into the game, Noussair Mazraoui slumped to the ground due to a rough challenge by Ki-Jana Hoever. Despite appearing to be in excruciating pain initially, Mazraoui was able to make his way back to the pitch after a few minutes on the sidelines. In the 25th minute, following a period of inaction, the match sparked to life. Casemiro closed down Wolves player Andre to intercept the ball in Wolves’ half. He then booted the ball to Matheus Cunha, who decided to lay the ball off to Fernandes in the centre of the box. Despite slipping, the United skipper managed to get his shot past the keeper to put United into the lead. Minutes later, Mbeumo embarked on an impressive run, taking a shot that the keeper saved with his legs. While Cunha arrived to take a shot from the rebound, his effort was cleared off the line. Amad Diallo took a third shot that flew wide of the mark. Nine minutes before the break, Amad swung in a shot from the edge of the box that hit Emmanuel Agbadou, who almost turned the ball into his own net. Instead, only a corner was given, which Wolves’ defence disposed of with relative ease. In the final minute of first-half stoppage time, Wolves stunned United with an equaliser. United’s defence was blown right open as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde thumped the ball in from close range. It was a bitter end to the half for United, who yet again allowed their opponents to draw level with them despite their dominance. Ruben Amorim clearly needed to change something during the break to pick his team back up and score more goals. Second half United came out swinging in the second half, with Mbeumo bursting forward, passing to Cunha on the left. Cunha did well to beat his marker, but his close-range effort was denied by the keeper. Barely a few minutes later, United’s advantage was restored. In another quick counter, Mbeumo sprinted past the defence. This time, he was the recipient, with Dalot providing him a slick through ball. Mbeumo made no mistake as he slotted his shot into the back of the net. United continued their attacking momentum afterwards, with Mbeumo setting up Cunha, whose shot was blocked by the defence. Soon after, Fernandes laid off the ball to Amad, who passed it back, only for Fernandes’ shot to be saved. Barely a few seconds later, Fernandes picked out Mason Mount with a cross, who beat the defence and hammered a low shot into the net to double United’s lead. 3-1 to the visitors with less than half an hour to go. Fernandes was at it again after the restart, sending a surgical cross to Cunha, whose header was saved by an alert goalkeeper. With little over 20 minutes to play, Amorim made a double switch, bringing on Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martinez for Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven. In the 78th minute, Casemiro made way for Kobbie Mainoo, who would have surely been looking to make an impactful cameo to help him convince Amorim to give him more minutes. Following a corner, Amad took a shot from outside the box that was blocked. Upon closer inspection, it was determined that Yerson Mosquera was guilty of a deliberate handball, gifting United a penalty. Fernandes slotted his shot into the bottom left corner, out of the keeper’s reach. With less than six minutes to play, Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu came on in place of Mount and Dalot. Nine minutes of stoppage time were announced, leaving both sides with plenty of time to change the score. Ultimately, the game went quiet in added time, with neither team appearing particularly energetic following a match filled with non-stop action. Zirkzee was shown a yellow card after getting into a tussle with a Wolves player. It was a poor show of a short temper from the Dutch forward. The referee blew the full-time whistle following a dominant performance by United. Despite losing their lead, United did well to pull themselves up and pull off a convincing win to put themselves back on track. Starting XI: Lammens, Shaw, Heaven, Mazraoui, Dalot, Fernandes, Casemiro, Amad, Cunha, Mbeumo, Mount Subs: Yoro, Martinez, Mainoo, Zirkzee, Dorgu Featured image Shaun Botterill 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 Mathew Cohen A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.