Manchester United beat Wolves to close in on top-four finish
Manchester United's Anthony Martial celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Wolverhampton at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, May 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Goals from Anthony Martial and Alejandro Garnacho separated the two teams as Erik ten Hag’s tired-looking side limps towards a top-four finish.
With Newcastle drawing earlier in the day, victory leaves United favourites for Champions League football, even with in-form Liverpool playing at struggling Leicester on Monday.
And while far from convincing, the win was another important step in ten Hag’s mission to deliver Champions League football to Old Trafford.
With goals currently so hard to come by, and leading scorer Marcus Rashford out injured, it was a predictably laborious attacking performance from the Reds.
But Martial made the breakthrough on 32 minutes following Bruno Fernandes’ surge forward and a pass wide to Antony.
The Dutch winger could have shot but selflessly squared the ball for Martial who completed a simple finish from eight yards for his eighth goal of the season and just his third in 2023.
If that was impressive from Antony, the 100 million euro winger was far less so when he wasted a brilliant United break in first half injury-time.
It appeared a simple square ball would play Jadon Sancho clean through on Dan Bentley but Antony delayed and left Martial with a difficult chance which he hit straight at the debutant keeper.
Antony was also guilty of two glaring first half misses, shooting wide from just inside the box after brilliant move then missing an unmarked header just four yards out, from Luke Shaw’s cross.
Bentley was also required to save well from his own player, Matheus Cunha who almost headed Christian Eriksen’s corer into his own goal.
After Antony opened the second half with a shot that was charged down by Craig Dawson, Wolves enjoyed their best spell of the game, thanks largely to Ruben Neves.
He won a couple of corners, where the lurking Maximilian Kilman posed a threat, before Nelson Semedo’s cross was almost met by the diving Diego Costa.
Antony, again, was setup for a shot which whistled just wide of the post via a deflection, and Sancho should have wrapped up all three points on 73 minutes.
He chased onto Casemiro’s through ball and only had the keeper to beat but his low shot was kept out, at the foot of his post, by Bentley.
A late trip by Craig Dawson on Fred also presented Fernandes with a late chance with a free-kick from the edge of the box but the United man fired over.
And on the stroke of full-time, Antony’s shot from the edge of the area summed up his frustrating afternoon as Bentley dived to save well.
There was still time for United to claim a second, however, four minutes into stoppage time, when the Reds broke from a Wolves set-piece and Fernandes found substitute Garnacho.
The youngster sprinted half the length of the field before beating Bentley with a shot in off the inside of the post.
De Gea 6; Wan-Bissaka 6, Lindelof 6, Varane 7 (Maguire 80), Shaw 7; Casemiro 6, Eriksen 6 (Fred 81); Antony 7, Fernandes 8, Sancho 5 (Garnacho 81); Martial 7 (Weghorst 68, 6). Substitutes (not used) Butland, Malacia, Dalot, Pellistri, Elanga.
Bentley 8; Semedo 7, Dawson 6, Kilman 6, Toti 5 (Bueno 61, 5); Nunes 5, Neves 7, Lemina 6 (Traore 74, 5), Neto 5 (Hwang 45, 7); Cunha 5 (Podence 61, 6), Costa 5 (Jimenez 77, 5). Substitutes (not used) Sa, Collins, Sarabia, Gomes.
J Brooks 7.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
