Stretch shares his thoughts on Wolves performance against Manchester United and all the player ratings.
Dan Bentley – 8
Late replacement for Sa injured in the warm up. Stepping into a game at Old Trafford at late notice is a big deal but Bentley looked completely assured. At no time did he get involved in panicky passing around at the back, made all the right choices with his distribution. One difficult palm away from a corner and a routine push over from a free kik the sum total of his challenges for the afternoon. He dealt with everything he had to with ease.
Rayan Ait-Nouri – 8
Harshy booked but defended his side well with very little threat from United’s right. Going forward he was terrific, easpecially in the first half with terrific intercation with Cunha and Toti. Never quite got to contribute a critical play but a good game for RAN.
Toti Gomes 7
One of three central defenders that curtailed Manchester United to 2 shots on target. Had his usual forays forward but above all showed an aggression to his defending that worked well. Getting better with every game.
Emmanuel Agbadou 8
Just a little above his fellow centre backs winning countless challenges and particularly dominant in the air. His positive attacking defending ruled out any opportunity for United through the middle. Wolves buy of the season a colossus again.
Santi Bueno 7
With Wolves relatively deep for much of the game his lack of pace was never exposed. A very solid performance with no errors. Rarely noticed always a good sign for a central defender. Calm and assured on the ball.
Nelson Semedo 7
Had a solid game without impressing going forward or defending. Had a considerable challenge with Garnacho but despite the players huffing and puffing there were no chances created from United’s left. Ultimately a defenders job is to stop the opposition and he did that well. It was not a game for extensive attacking runs.
Joao Gomes 7
Joao is everywhere his commitment and running is a given in every game. He continues to impress when he wins the ball and turns a recovery in to an attacking threat. His stunning partnership with Andre continues to flourish.
Andre 8
Andre was outstanding in the first 30 minutes dominating the early midfield exchanges. His booking probably slowed his aggression and perhaps it was no coincidence that after that United started to gain ground. He is a class act.
Matheus Cunha 7
Cunha looked really sharp early on and linked well with Ait-Nouri but naturally had less influence as United took a greater control of the game. Ultimately a player of his genius drifts in and out of games and it was his run that brought about the free kick that ultimately won the game. Not a Cunha masterclas but his contributions are always significant.
MARSHALL Munetsi 6
I am struggling with Munetsi. I can see his energy, his attitude, his physiacal strength. But is he a footballer. Set to divide the fan base not love or hate more love or laugh. He’s an enjoyable watch but I hope he can find a way of contributing with the ball.
Jorgen Strand Larsen 6
Larsen’s run of goals had to stop at some point. In keeping with the game Larsen had no service to feed off and struggled to keep the ball in the limited chances today. His limited contribution today more a reflection of this stalemate of a game than his ability.
Substitutes
There is one stand out mention. Sarabia does it again. He has quality in abundance and we will miss it. Fended off Cunha and took on the free kick which he beautifully curved over the wall into the top corner.
ARTICLE BY STRETCH
Started in 1970 standing on a stool in South Bank and have been screaming at referees ever since. Worked my way round the ground, Billy Wright, North bank and now made it to the Steve Bull. Moving as various friends came and went as well as accommodating age changes of the pesky kids who are also bitten. As passionate as ever despite the stress of VAR shortening my life expectancy.
1 Comment
by Razor
I agree with the comments on Munetsi, I’m not sure either. He can run for sure, which he does non-stop and that does help with our pressing game, but aside from that I’m also struggling to see a natural footballer. It’s often the case with “box to box” midfielders – they pop up with crucial goals at times, due to late runs into the box, but for the bits in between they don’t touch the ball a lot.
England had exactly that with David Platt, who was always amongst the goals, but rarely touched the ball in his role as a midfielder. We had similar at Molineux with Dave Edwards – worked his socks off and scored vital goals but was not the best with the ball at his feet.