Manchester United 1-1 Wolves: Bottom club claim point

Manchester United finished 2025 and will want to forget it on another low note as they drew 1-1 with Wolves without a win at Old Trafford.

United produced an impressive effort in defense to beat Newcastle United 1-0 on Boxing Day, but their defense was surprisingly shaky against the bottom club in the Premier League, who are almost certainly relegation-bound.

It looked as if Wolves’ massive failings in defense would render any United’s struggles moot when Joshua Zirkzee put the hosts ahead with a deflected shot, but a brilliant header from Ladislav Krejci gave the visitors the goal they deserved before half-time.

Patrick Dorgu appeared to have broken Wolves’ hearts late on when he converted the rebound after Jose Sa had denied Benjamin Sisco, but they were saved by the line flag.

The result will significantly increase the pressure on Ruben Amorim and perhaps lift some pressure on Rob Edwards despite Wolves’ desperate position in the table. They are fifteen points from safety, while United will rue a golden opportunity to move into the top four.

Zirkzee puts Manchester United ahead

Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa had to act quickly to prevent Luke Shaw’s pesky pass from going straight in from a corner, before Cisco fired wide on the turn.

It was a familiar feeling for Edwards when Zirkzee’s shot deflected wildly off Krejci and past the helpless Sa after excellent work from Ayden Heaven.

Wolves were a constant threat in attack, and Hwang Hee Chan gave United what should have been a wake-up call when he went close to scoring after Tolu Arokudari’s shot.

On the other hand, Shaw’s passes continued to cause Wolves problems, as Cisco hit the post from a corner kick.

But United failed to heed the earlier warning, and after both Yersun Mosquera and Hugo Bueno saw their chances dwindling, Krejci silenced Old Trafford by punishing United’s failure to clear Bueno’s corner kick.

Sa and Lammens produce championships

Sa was grateful to see Diogo Dalot’s header from Shaw’s corner as United looked to restore the lead, and it was only the reflexes of the Wolves goalkeeper that prevented a comical second goal for the hosts, as the Portuguese raced back to clear the ball off the line and stop an errant defensive header from Mosquera from leading to an own goal.

Lammens equaled Sa’s heroics when he grabbed the ball from Mosquera’s toes, preventing him from tapping into the rebound after the Belgian had initially denied Krejje a second goal.

United’s goal continued to live a charmed life when Dalot turned John Arias’ shot wide, and it looked as if fortune smiled on them once again as Dorgu sent the home fans into joy, only for an offside flag to be correctly raised to leave Amorim frustrated and Wolves able to celebrate the end of an 11-game losing streak.