KARL WHITEHOUSE TAKES A LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF WOLVES V MANCHESTER UNITED
FIRST ENCOUNTERS
- Division 1 – The initial clash between the two clubs in Division 1 took place on 15th October 1892, with Newton Heath emerging victorious with a 10-1 scoreline before they changed their name to Manchester United.
- FA Cup – The first face-off in the FA Cup occurred in the Semi Final at Hillsborough on 26th March 1949. The match concluded with a 1-1 draw after extra time, leading to a replay at Goodison Park on 2nd April 1949, where Wolves secured a 1-0 win.
- Premier League – The inaugural meeting of the two clubs in the Premier League happened on 27th August 2003, resulting in a 1-0 victory for Manchester United.
- League Cup – The first encounter between the two clubs in the league cup took place in the 3rd round on 23rd September 2009, ending in a 1-0 win for Manchester United.
MATCH OF THE DAY
There was a game on the date of the upcoming meeting which played on the 30th December 1967 the game finished 3-2 to Manchester United.
OTHER MEETINGS
Wolves played Manchester United in a preseason friendly at Molineux on the 3rd August 1994 the game finished 2-1 to Manchester United with Steve Bull getting the Wolves goal, the Manchester United scorers were Paul Ince and Paul Blades own goal.
MOST RECENT MEETINGS
Premier League – The most recent game was on the 8th December 2025 the game finished 4-1 to Manchester United goal scorer for Wolves was Jean Ricner Bellegarde, Manchester United scorers were Bruno Fernandes 2 goals, Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount in front of 30,338 fans.
FA Cup – The most recent game was in the 3rd Round on the 15th January 2020 this was a replay after the original game played on the 4th January 2020 ended 0-0, this final score was 1-0 to Manchester United.
League Cup – The most recent game was in the 4th Round of the league cup on the 26th October 2010 the game finished 3-2 to Manchester United.
LAST 6 MATCHES
13th May 2023 Manchester United 2 Wolves 0 Played at Old Trafford.
14th August 2023 Manchester United 1 Wolves 0 Played at Old Trafford.
1st February 2024 Wolves 3 Manchester United 4 Played at Molineux
26th December 2024 Wolves 2 Manchester United 0 Played at Molineux
20th April 2025 Manchester United 0 Wolves 1 at Old Trafford
8th December 2025 Wolves 1 Manchester United 4 at Molineux
WOLVES BIGGEST WIN
- Division 2, the largest win between the two teams occurred on 26th December 1931, with Wolves finishing 7-0.
- Division 1, the biggest win between the two teams was on 4th October 1952, with Wolves finishing 6-2.
- Premier League, the biggest wins between the two teams were on 5th February 2011 and 2nd April 2019, with Wolves finishing 2-1 in both games.
- FA Cup, the largest win between the two teams was on 16th March 2019 in the quarterfinal, with Wolves finishing 2-1.
Do you remember this premier league draw?
Manchester United 1 Wolves 1 22nd September 2018
Last time played
Wolves last played Manchester United in March 2012. That was the last time Wolves were in the Premier League before this visit.
First-half action
Wolves started as the brighter of the two sides, pressing high and causing United problems early on. Costa and Jota asked questions of the United defence and forced De Gea into action.
United then began to take control. Pogba dictated the tempo in midfield, and that led to the opening goal. He slid a pass into Fred, who hit a low shot past Patricio from outside the box for his first goal in a United shirt.
Wolves did not sit back after the setback. Neves and Moutinho helped Wolves regain control in midfield, while Jimenez continued to cause problems in and around the box. There were no more goals before the break, but Wolves were still very much in the game.
Half-time: Manchester United 1 Wolves 0
Second-half action
Wolves started the second half as they ended the first, with confidence and control. The equaliser felt deserved. Jimenez laid the ball off on the edge of the area to Moutinho, who curled a superb shot into the top corner. De Gea, slightly off his line, could only watch it fly in.
After the goal, Wolves looked the more positive team and continued to cause United issues across the pitch. United turned to the bench for answers, but the chances they created were not up to their usual standards.
Wolves stayed calm under pressure, with Coady leading the defence and helping to repel United’s attacks into the penalty area.
Conclusion
Late pressure from both teams came and went as each searched for a winner. The final whistle went with the match ending level, and Wolves looked the happier of the two sides.
Full-time: Manchester United 1 Wolves 1
Manchester United
De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw, Fellaini, Fred, Pogba, Lingard, Sanchez, Lukaku.
Subs: Martial, Pereira, Mata, Romero, Bailly, Young, McTominay.
Goal: Fred (18).
Manager: Jose Mourinho.
Wolves
Patricio, Doherty, Bennett, Boly, Coady, Jonny, Neves, Moutinho, Costa, Jota, Jimenez.
Subs: Saiss, Traore, Gibbs-White, Ruddy, Vinagre, Hause, Bonatini.
Goal: Moutinho (53).
Manager: Nuno Espírito Santo.
Attendance: 74,489
WOLVES BIGGEST DEFEAT
Division 1 – The biggest defeat was on the 1st November 1947 the game finished 6-2 to Manchester United.
Premier League – The biggest defeat was on the 18th March 2012 the game finished 5-0 to Manchester United.
FA Cup – The biggest defeat between the two clubs was on the 10th March 1965 in the quarter final the game finished 5-3 to Manchester United.
HEAD TO HEAD
Does anyone remember this game back in the day? Manchester United 1 Wolves 3 8th January 1972
Setting the scene
Wolves came into this match unbeaten in their last 10 games, with 8 wins and 2 draws. It was the best run in the division at the time.
First half
Wolves caused Manchester United problems early on and took the lead in the 20th minute. Jim McCalliog swung in a cross that flashed across goal and found Kenny Hibbitt. Hibbitt then put the ball back in, picking out Derek Dougan, who headed home for his 21st goal of the season to make it 1-0.
Wolves doubled their lead soon after. Frank Munro delivered a long free kick from inside his own half towards Dougan. His glancing header dropped to John Richards, who fired into the net to put Wolves 2-0 up.
Second half
Wolves added a third goal late on, helped by poor defending from the United back line. A cross from John Richards found Hugh Curran, who was fouled by Tony Dunne as he tried to reach the ball. The referee pointed to the spot.
Jim McCalliog stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty to the right. The goalkeeper barely moved, and the Wolves fans chanted “Easy” as it went in. 3-0 Wolves.
Conclusion
Manchester United grabbed a late consolation in the 86th minute. Bobby Charlton played in Sammy McIlroy, who turned on the edge of the box and finished past Phil Parkes for his fourth goal in 10 games.
Wolves held on for an impressive win at Old Trafford, extending their unbeaten run to 11 games.
Final score: Manchester United 1 Wolves 3
Manchester United
Stepney, Dunne, Burns, Gowling, Edwards, Sadler, Morgan, Kidd, Charlton, Law, McIlroy.
Sub: Sartori.
Goal: McIlroy (86).
Manager: Frank O’Farrell.
Wolves
Parkes, Shaw, Parkin, Bailey, Munro, McAlle, McCalliog, Hibbitt, Richards, Dougan, Wagstaffe.
Sub: Curran.
Goals: Dougan (20), Richards (29), McCalliog (pen 75).
Manager: Bill McGarry.
Attendance: 46,781
PLAYING FOR BOTH TEAMS
Cameron Borthwick Jackson Played for Manchester United 2015-2016 made 10 appearances and played for Wolves in a loan spell from Manchester United 2016-2017 made 6 appearances.
Sylvan Ebanks Blake Played for Manchester United 2004-2006 made 2 league cup appearances and 1 goal and played for Wolves 2007-2013 made 177 appearances and scored 61 goals.
Darren Ferguson Played for Manchester United 1990-1994 made 28 appearances and played for Wolves 1994-1999 made 117 appearances and scored 4 goals.
Michael Gray Played for Manchester United in his youth career 1988-1990 but failed to make a single appearance for the club and played for Wolves 2007-2009 made 41 appearances and scored 4 goals.
Paul Ince Played for Manchester United 1989-1995 made 206 appearances and scored 25 goals and played for Wolves 2002-2006 made 115 appearances and scored 10 goals and was part of the Wolves team that got wolves promoted to the premier league in 2003.
Denis Irwin Played for Manchester United 1990-2002 made 368 appearances and scored 22 goals and played for Wolves 2002-2004 made 75 appearances and scored 2 goals and was part of the Wolves team that got promoted to the premier league in 2003.
Jemal Johnson Played for Manchester United in his youth career didn’t make a single appearance in the first team and played for Wolves 2006-2007 made 20 appearances and scored 3 goals.
David Jones Played for Manchester United in his youth career 1995-2003 and first team where he made no appearances for the team only made 4 appearances in the FA Cup and League Cup 2003-2007 and played for Wolves 2008-2011 made 66 appearances and scored 6 goals.
Tomasz Kuszczak Played for Manchester United 2006-2007 in a loan spell from West Bromwich Albion and a permanent spell from 2007-2012 made 32 appearances and played for Wolves 2014-2015 made 13 appearances.
Jim McCalliog Played for Wolves 1969-1974 made 163 appearances and scored 34 goals and played for Manchester United 1974-1975 made 31 appearances and scored 7 goals.
Scott McGarvey Played for Manchester United 1980-1984 made 35 appearances and scored 5 goals and played for Wolves 1984 in a loan spell from Manchester United made 13 appearances and scored 2 goals.
Mark Todd Played for Manchester United 1986-1987 made no appearances for the first team and played for Wolves in a loan spell from Sheffield United 1990-1991 made 7 appearances.
Matheus Cunha Played for Wolves 2023-2025 including a loan spell made 92 appearances scored 33 goals and signed for Manchester United 2025 made 11 appearances scored 1 goal.
Other Players who played for both clubs.
Arthur Allman, Glen Andrews, Brian Birch, Billy Bryant, George Bissett, Joe Davies, Reece Devine, John Ferguson, Richard Flash, Johnny Gorman, John Griffiths, Billy Harrison, Tom Huddlestone, Ben Morton, Daniel Nardiello, Bill Pendergast, Arthur Potts, Tommy Rowe, Jack Rowley, Kris Taylor, George Travers, Syd Tyler, Jeff Wealands, Billy Wrigglesworth.
Played, Coached and Managed both teams.
Major Frank Buckley Played for Manchester United 1905-1906 made 3 appearances and managed Wolves 1927-1944.
Brian Carey Played for Manchester United 1989-1993 made no first team appearances and was a assistant manager of Wolves 2013 working with Dean Saunders who was the manager at the time.
Chris Turner Played for Manchester United made 64 appearances and was youth team manager at Wolves 1995-1998 where he worked under Mark McGhee.
ARTICLE BY KARL WHITEHOUSE
I’ve been a Wolves fan for over 30 years, supporting them at both home and away games in the 80s, 90s, and 00s. Now, I enjoy delving into the stats behind the games they play in the Premier League and also looking at other stats if someone asks on the podcast. I’ve also visited all 92 football league grounds and will soon be creating an ebook about people’s favourite matches they’ve attended, complete with a match report and, if possible, stats from the game.