Manchester United secured a controversial 1-0 victory over Wolves at Old Trafford as VAR denied the visitors a late penalty.
Starting lineup
Manchester United: Andre Onana; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw; Casemiro, Mason Mount; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho; Marcus Rashford.
Wolves: Jose Sa; Nelson Semedo, Craig Dawson, Maximilian Kilman, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Mario Lemina, Joao Gomes; Matheus Nunes, Pablo Sarabia, Pedro Neto; Matheus Cunha.
After an impressive debut season with United as manager, Erik Ten Hag was tipped to build on his gains going into his second season at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, the Dutch tactician had less to worry, facing a Wolves side that suffered setbacks before the Premier League kickoff.
Wolves former manager Julen Lopetegui stepped down from his role as manager following a row with the club’s hierarchy for allowing high-profile summer exits without much reinforcement.
Gary O’Neil took charge of the dugout at Molineaux following the departure of Lopetegui and was certainly hoping to kickstart his reign on a positive note.
A trip to Old Trafford was a perfect chance for the former Bournemouth manager to prove a point but Wolves faced an uphill task against Manchester United, having managed just one win in the last 10 games against the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
The visitors also had to battle with the task of reversing their winless deadlock in opening weekends in the Premier League in the last two seasons.
Against expectations, Wolves gave a strong early start to the game in the first half, matching Man United’s pace, press, attacks, and counters.
Manchester United looked more of a shadow of themselves, struggling to tame a spirited Wolves side, showing enough tenacity and character to take on the Red Devils.
While Erik Ten Hag seemed disappointed at a lacklustre early start to the game, it was a brilliant showing by Wolves enough to earn the praise of Gary O’Neil.
Wolves were deadly when charging forward with Cunha and Sarabia nearly giving the visitors the lead after breaking on a quick counter.
Wan-Bissaka starred for Manchester United, making big stops that made a difference for Man United at the back as he frustrated Wolves with his solid display.
Manchester United did little to threaten Wolves’ defense save a late first half effort by Marcus Rashford, who capitalised on the visitors’ defensive blunder to launch a quick attack but was stopped inside the penalty area.
Wolves continue to wrestle earnestly for possession, strongly contesting for the ball till the end of the first half.
Both sides failed to find the back of the net but Wolves defy the odds to emerge a better side after the first half.
Manchester United upped their game in the second half as they ramped up proceedings, trying to take the lead.
Coming under intense pressure, Wolves dropped deep into their half while Manchester United dominated proceedings going forward.
The game crossed the hour mark with both sides unable to find the back of the net but Wolves were gradually making inroads into the game.
Cunha nearly gave Wolves the lead firing from 25 yards in the 56th minute but Onana produced a fine save to deny the visitors.
Manchester United struggled from the 60th minute in the game as Wolves make more advances forward creating plenty of chances.
Against the run of play, Manchester United took a surprise lead in the 76th minute. Raphael Varane scored for Manchester United heading home a volleyed cross by Wan-Bissaka to give the Red Devils the lead.
It was a shocking lead for the Red Devils, having played second fiddle to the visitors and conceding a number of glaring chances.
Wolves made a strong late attempt to nail home the equaliser and nearly landed a golden opportunity to level the scores in stoppage-time following calls for a penalty after Andre Onana’s reckless challenge on Kaladzic.
Onana missed the ball as he jumped to clear it but ended up clipping Kaladzic to the ground. After VAR review it was adjudged a no penalty.
United held their breath and ran out with narrow win after the final whistle.
