Match Report: Mainoo’s spectacular strike ends a seven-goal thriller for Wolves 3–4 Man Utd

In Thursday night’s Premier League match of the season, Manchester United defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-3, thanks in part to a late goal from 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo.

At Molineux, Erik ten Hag’s team jumped out to a commanding lead as goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund put a disoriented Wolves team to the sword in the first half.

However, goals from Pedro Neto, Max Kilman, and Pablo Sarabia gave the Old Gold a decisive advantage in the second half, with Scott McTominay also making his way home in between. There was still one more twist in a wild match at Molineux as Mainoo came in late to earn Man Utd a crucial three points with a fantastic score.

Match Report

Man Utd returned to Premier League affairs with a trip to Molineux following a nerve-wracking but triumphant FA Cup fourth-round matchup with League Two Newport County. The Old Gold had gone nine games without a loss at home heading into the game, but the Red Devils had won their previous three games against Wolves without giving up.

Rashford, of course, gave the visitors the lead as Gary O’Neil’s team lost ground early on, jeopardising their remarkable run of victories at Molineux. On his comeback to the team, he scored a goal for Manchester United with five minutes remaining, placing Hojlund’s lay-off into the far corner from the edge, following the previous controversy surrounding the attacker.

United pulled off a sucker punch at the opposite end to increase their advantage just as Wolves were beginning to gather momentum. The ball bounced off Hojlund and past Jose Sa after Rashford’s pass to Luke Shaw on the overlap. The left-back then curled a cross to the near post.

Moments later, goal-scorer Hojlund rushed down Matt Doherty’s short back ball, and Sa’s clearing struck the Dane and flashed just wide. Casemiro wasted a glorious opportunity when he headed over from a smart free kick with the goal gaping.

Before the half, Manchester United kept attacking the Wolves net, with Raphael Varane smashing a volley over the crossbar as the hosts were constantly being exposed. Going into halftime, Hojlund and Casemiro both hit the back of the net, but their attempts were correctly disregarded for offside.

With Andre Onana’s shaky goalkeeping from a free kick, Lisandro Martinez cleared off the line at one end after Bruno Fernandes failed to convert inside the area, and the action continued after the interval.

With his first touch of the game coming off the bench, McTominay quickly restored Man Utd’s lead by heading in from a corner. Neto seemed he had given Wolves a point with a brilliant late goal in stoppage time, but Max Kilman put one home from close range to put the hosts back in the game.

Mainoo turned out to be Man Utd’s saviour as they refused to give up without a fight. Before launching a stunning curling shot to win it at the last second for the Red Devils, the youngster danced into the penalty area.