Manchester United would have been licking their lips at the prospect of Wolves on opening night in front of their home crowd, especially after the departure of Lopetegui just days before the season started. Of course, United seem to have this curse of facing sides on a ‘new manager bounce’, however with this happening at the very start of the season, United fans were hoping for the chaos off-field to reflect in a comfortable win on it. With the chance to see 2 out of 3 new arrivals this summer for the first time in competitive action, United had a strong, attacking line-up in their first XI of the season, but the game didn’t pan out quite as expected.

With a strange atmosphere throughout the ground, with several off-field issues giving the game a strange vibe from watching on the Sky broadcast, United toiled to victory and got away with a huge bit of luck which at the very start of the season, may be something they look back on as a crucial moment in the season.

With several key talking points coming from the game, many United fans won’t want to spend too long re-living this game, but there’s some key areas we need to dissect.

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Teams

Manchester United presented their most likely squad to start the season, with little/no surprises in terms of selection. With new striker Hojlund unavailable for the next few weeks, Rashford was called upon to lead the line, despite Sancho adapting to a false-9 role often in pre-season games. This allowed Garnacho to take a start for the opener on the left side of attack, which perhaps again could have been for Sancho, but United appear much more weaker on the wings when Rashford has to play through the middle.

Despite missing Hojlund, we saw the debut’s for Onana and Mount who are expected to be regular starters this season. The midfield seemed very attacking with almost a front 5-back 5/6 (w/Onana) split, which as we will discuss later created several key issues. Aside from perhaps a discussion at right back, United’s first XI currently picks itself, so Ten Hag didn’t spring any last minute shocks.

On the bench for United, Maguire, Henderson and McTominay all made the selection despite heavy rumours and links of the players being on the way out this summer. McTominay perhaps is least likely to depart as we saw a late cameo to secure up the win towards the last few minutes. The message does seem quite clear to Henderson and Maguire of their position in the squad however, and I expect to see some final moves for these in the closing stages of the window. Finally, Anthony Martial made the bench, and although didn’t feature on-pitch, United will be hoping for some regular action for the Frenchman despite newcomer Hojlund, and allow Rashford to return to his favoured position.

For Wolves, their line-up was again fairly as expected from what little I know of their squad. With Gary O’Neil having just days to prep his side, the team on paper looked capable, but certainly missing some fire-power up top, which is a concern that will plague Wolves’ season no doubt.

Manchester United: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez (Lindelof 45′), Shaw, Casemiro, Mount (Eriksen 68′), Fernandes, Garnacho (Sancho 68′), Antony (Pellistri 77′), Rashford (McTominay 88′)

Subs: Henderson, Dalot, Maguire, Martial

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa, Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Nouri (Bueno 77′), Neto, Gomes (Kalajdzic 88′), Lemina, Nunes, Cunha (Silva 77′), Sarabia (Hwang 63′)

Subs: Bentley, Doherty, Hodge, Traore, Gomes

Manchester United 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manchester United opened their 2023/24 Premier League season with a narrow 1–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford, though the score line hardly reflected the balance of play. United struggled for rhythm for much of the evening, with Wolves showing far more fluidity and threat in the final third. Matheus Cunha, in particular, caused repeated problems for the home defence, and Wolves finished the match having taken 23 shots, an unusually high tally for a visiting side at Old Trafford.

The decisive moment arrived in the 76th minute. Bruno Fernandes drifted a clever ball out to Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right, and the full-back delivered a perfectly measured cross into the box. Raphaël Varane, pushing forward from defence, rose unmarked to nod the ball past José Sá from close range. It was a rare moment of incision from United and one that brought audible relief from the home crowd after a largely anxious performance.

Late drama followed when Wolves substitute Saša Kalajdžić collided with new United goalkeeper André Onana deep into stoppage time. Wolves were adamant the challenge warranted a penalty, but after a lengthy VAR check the referee stuck with the on-field decision of no foul. The final whistle soon followed, sealing a win for United that owed as much to resilience, and a slice of fortune, as it did to quality, while Wolves left feeling they had done more than enough to take something from the match.

Talking Points

Manchester United’s midfield trio was one of the main talking points from the 1–0 win over Wolves, and not for the right reasons. The combination used on the night frequently left large gaps between the lines, allowing Wolves to drive forward far too easily. Matheus Cunha, in particular, found acres of space to carry the ball through the centre of the pitch, exposing an imbalance that United will almost certainly need to address as the season settles. For a home opener, it raised more concerns than confidence about how effectively the team can control games.

That uncertainty fed into what felt like a generally nervy start to the campaign. United struggled to impose themselves, looked short of fluidity in attack, and were second best for long stretches. Even after Raphaël Varane’s close-range header put them ahead, the performance never truly settled. Instead of building on the goal, United continued to cede territory and possession, giving the impression of a side still searching for sharpness, structure, and belief.

The biggest moment of controversy came deep into stoppage time, when André Onana clattered into Saša Kalajdžić as the Wolves substitute rose for a header. Wolves were emphatic that it should have been a penalty, and the VAR review that followed only heightened the tension. When no spot-kick was given, it felt like a major let-off for the hosts, a decision that could easily have gone the other way. United held on for the win, but the closing moments underlined just how fortunate they were to avoid a late equaliser in a match where their performance had invited pressure.