Man Utd 1-0 Wolves: Verane’s Winner Helps Red Devils Secure Home Win

Source: All Football

England: A winning if unspectacular start to the season for Manchester United. Given that Erik ten Hag lost his home opener to Brighton a year ago, he will take this though.

A Wolves team that had changed their manager just four days earlier had produced a vibrant display for new boss Gary O’Neil and had the best of the chances. Imagine how well they could have played if O’Neil had been in charge for a whole week.

After a summer in which Ten Hag has carefully side-stepped the question of whether United are genuine contenders for the Premier League title, here was evidence why the United boss remains so reticent to dream big.

This was a rather lethargic performance from a team that finished third last season and should be expected to improve on that term.

Ten Hag sent out a team full of attacking intent but United failed to create any clear chances, and it was defender Raphael Varane who made the breakthrough in the 76th minute.

Captain Bruno Fernandes dinked a clever pass over the top of the Wolves defence and Aaron Wan-Bissaka lifted the ball first time to the edge of the six-yard box. Varane had stayed forward and was never going to miss with his header from point-blank range.

It felt harsh on Wolves and the sense of relief around Old Trafford was palpable. Ten Hag knows United will get better but they can’t spend too long going through the gears.