Wolves hold Manchester United, stay rooted at bottom of Premiership

Manchester United’s inconsistent 2025 ended in frustration as they were held to a 1–1 draw at home by bottom-of-the-table Wolves, handing new manager Rob Edwards his first point since taking charge.

Three weeks after a dominant 4–1 win at Molineux, Ruben Amorim’s side struggled to impose themselves at Old Trafford, weakened by the absence of several key players including Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount.

According to ESPN, United were without eight senior players in total, though Wolves were also depleted.

United took the lead in the 27th minute through Joshua Zirkzee, whose effort deflected off Ladislav Krejcí and left goalkeeper José Sá with no chance after good work from Ayden Heaven in the build-up.

The hosts pressed for a second, with Benjamin Šeško hitting the post and seeing another effort saved, while Patrick Dorgu fired narrowly wide. However, their failure to convert chances proved costly.

Wolves levelled just before the break when Krejcí made amends, nodding home from close range after Zirkzee had flicked on a corner, snapping the visitors’ 11-match Premier League losing run.

United’s frustrations grew in the second half despite renewed pressure.

Šeško missed a gilt-edged opportunity when heading straight at Sá, who later made a remarkable recovery to prevent an own goal from Yerson Mosquera.

At the other end, Wolves threatened sporadically, with Senne Lammens producing key saves to deny Krejcí a second goal and keep United in the contest.

Amorim turned to youth late on, handing 17-year-old Bendito Mantato his debut as the home crowd urged their side forward.

United thought they had snatched a dramatic winner in the 90th minute when Dorgu fired in after Sá parried a Šeško shot, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Boos greeted the final whistle from a frustrated Old Trafford crowd, while Wolves’ supporters celebrated a hard-earned point that marked their first positive result under Edwards.

United failed to build on their Boxing Day win over Newcastle, while Wolves remained bottom but showed renewed resilience after a difficult run.

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