You know, to pick up that result against one of the worst teams in Premier Leauge history, Wolves, deserve to be relegated!
😂😂😂. Sorry couldn't help myself 😭😭😭.
But no seriously, this was a great victory for United however, I don't want to see people go over the top but we are winning the league 🤷♂️👀.
Okay, that was the last one 🤭.
You can tell I'm feeling good even at 1 in the morning. It shows you what a solid performance and win can do for a person.
Yes, Ruben's Reds went to Molineux and picked apart a Wolves side who have just 2 points from 15 games. Many (including myself) saw this as a potential banana skin for United and maybe even Amorim's last game should things have gone completely awry.
However, all that was avoided and with such a convincing win, no doubt Amorim will now get a lifetime contract.
He was under much scrutiny over quite a few things so a match like this was absolutely essential for the Portuguese.
We had a good start, played some good football and scored some goals which was really important but we cannot read too much into this given the level of the opponent.
Of course, I'm not trying to talk down this win but it is only one game and it is against what many are saying is the worst side we've ever seen in PL history even at this early stage.
On the other hand, we can only beat what's put in front of you. That's exactly what we did.
Starting Lineup
I didn't actually have too many issues with the team the manager picked. I was surprised to see no De Ligt (his injury must be more serious than initially thought or just the manager protecting him) as well as Heaven maintaining his starting spot and no Zirkzee up front.
Mount came in for the Dutchman and sort of proved to be the correct decision.
First Half
Very good start by United. Dominated possession, dictated the play and played some top stuff.
This resulted in a really good chance early on. I don't know what the fuck's happened to Dalot in the last two games but blud has turned into prime Cafu as he was played through one-on-one by Bruno but thanks to a solid save, he was denied scoring in back-to-back matches.
Mbeumo then had a volley saved which sounds better than it was (it was a comfortable stop for the 'keeper) but what this was showing us that it seemed like a matter of time before we did actually score.
And on 25 minutes, up stepped the captain.
After Casemiro pressed high and won the ball, it made it's way to Cunha who played a really shit pass to Bruno which saw the skipper wrong-footed and on his arse! Luckily, he got back up in time and somehow squeezed the ball into the back of the net.
A goal that settled a lot of nerves, not least the manager's.
However, you know how we like to make things difficult for ourselves? We did that again.
For some reason, we decided to sit back and allow Wolves to get on the ball and build some confidence. This eventually led to their equalizer on halftime.
I can't tell you how embarrassing it is to know that we conceded to a side that hasn't scored in it's last five games! The defending as well was so poor. Like, I've never seen a team that starts with five defenders conceded as many as we do and as poorly. Plus we had Casemiro and Bruno in the box as well making it seven in the 18-yard area and we still couldn't keep them out.
This is where all those frustrations (and fears) returned.
The encouraging thing for United was that for some stupid reason, Rob Edwards decided it was a good idea to play quite open and with a high line against a team who likes oppositions to be quite open and with a high line. The more pragmatic approach was what was necessary for Wolves should they have wanted to takeaway a positive result.
Hey, I ain't complaining but it was still stupid.
Second Half
Going into the break at 1-1 was annoying but with the way the game was going, it felt like there was only ever going to be one result.
Unlike in the past, United didn't let this setback get the better of them (thankfully) as 10 minutes after the restart, Mbeumo restores the lead.
Poor from Wolves again as a silly giveaway in midfield and a high line allowed us to get in behind with ease. A simple square ball by Dalot to the Cameroonian saw him put it into an empty net after ex-United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone found himself in no man's land.
An important goal for the game but also for Mbeumo who was a bit average until this point. This follows three pretty drab displays by United's top scorer so a goal like this was necessary for him personally.
United didn't look back from then as further opportunities were created as Cunha had one stopped on the line after a beautiful flowing move from the Red Devils. The Brazilian appeared desperate to get on the scoresheet against his former club.
Try as he might though, Cunha couldn't convert any of the chances. That was becoming a bit frustrating because while we had the lead, we know how to mess that up so we all awaited the 3rd goal.
Mount was the man to deliver the killer blow as on the hour mark, he showed everyone how it's done. Bruno with a simple cross to the no 7 who found himself in a lot of space in the box for a simple tap-in.
3-1 and game over.
Considering how crap Wolves are, very few felt fears for United that we could go on and drop points from here. In fact, we were all hoping for more goals.
In the end, all we got was 1 as the magnifico scored his 2nd and United's 4th. A penalty was awarded for a handball which was not too dissimilar to a handball in the first half which was not given even though that first half handball looked more like a handball than the second half handball 😐.
These inconsistencies man 🤦♂️.
Bruno converted this spot kick and we won 4-1.
Verdict on Amorim
He needed a win like this. I don't think it was necessarily about just winning but how we won.
United have no identity. We are boring to watch. I mean, we wait for Dalot to run from left wing-back to right-wing to launch a long throw. AND IT STILL FINDS AN OPPOSITION HEAD!
Thank God we didn't many of those 🙌.
The thing about his lineups is that we never tend to agree with the manager no matter who he selects. This time was no different. But at least we didn't categorically disagree with it. The XI was still relatively alright.
I think what worked in his favour was how open Wolves were. I doubt many expected them to play in this manner which played into Amorim's hands. The United boss spoke pre-match saying things along the lines of Wolves were not as bad as the table suggests and that their football is decent.
I think this was more in case we drop points, then he has an excuse, IYKWIM? It didn't come to that and with a 4-1 win, Amorim looks like prime Guardiola.
He never really had to make changes that would need to influence the game in a positive sense. However, we did want to see what changes he would make based on the way the game was going.
Amorim kept with his tradition of swapping defenders as Heaven and Mazraoui were hooked for Yoro and Martinez. Why this brotha goes with defensive changes all the time is something I will never understand.
With that being said, I did agree with them, for once.
Yoro and Martinez both needed the game and with the match done and dusted, the manager could afford to make such changes.
Yet we still wanted to see something more offensive. We wanted to see Mainoo.
That substitution eventually came but on 75 minutes. It could've been done earlier especially because we won't want Casemiro to get booked as he would miss the Bournemouth clash. That change happened in time and we got to see the star boy whose substitution was met with loud cheers from the away end.
A clear sign to Amorim of how much Mainoo is wanted on the field.
But all-in-all, this was a good game from the manager. He will be disappointed with the concession of the goal and perhaps not scoring more, but given where we are as a team (and club) he couldn't have asked for much more.
Ratings
Lammens - 6
Mazraoui - 7
Heaven - 6.5
Shaw - 6.5
Amad - 6
Bruno - 8 MOTM
Casemiro - 6
Dalot - 7
Mbeumo - 6
Cunha - 5
Mount - 7
Yoro - 6
Martinez - 6
Mainoo - 6
Dorgu - 6
Zirkzee - 6
Ruben Amorim - 7
Final Thoughts
For once, we can enjoy a victory and rest of our week without the thought of United having disappointed us.
There's no real negativity nor drama. We scored some goals, players who needed to boosted their confidence and we moved up the table into 6th taking advantage of those around us dropping points.
Let's just appreciate this win. They don't come along too often.
Man Utd beat Wolves 4-1 to move into 6th | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)