Рэшфорд, Højbjerg and Mäenö scored.
"Manchester United" with Erik ten Hag continues to balance on the edge and alternates resounding defeats with bright victories. The match against "Wolverhampton" almost became another failure. The 18-year-old midfielder Mäenö came to the rescue.
The match had great tournament significance - although all recent games have been crucial for Man Utd since the 17th round. That's when they faced the league leader "Liverpool" (0-0). Then - an away game against "West Ham" (0-2), who by that time had climbed higher than the "Red Devils", and a home match against "Aston Villa" (3-2) from the UCL zone.
After the game against "Nottingham", the challenges continued - a home clash with "Tottenham" and now "Wolverhampton". Each of these opponents either competes with "Manchester United" for a place in the Premier League top five or is already there.
"Wolves" were in 11th place by the 22nd round and were only 3 points behind the "Red Devils". A victory would have opened up further progress towards the 6th or 7th positions. And "Wolverhampton" could count on such an outcome - there was the factor of playing at home and the recent success (1 defeat in 7 matches before the game against Man Utd). The "Red Devils" did not have such a solid foundation.
Alejandro did not register any goals or assists, but he cannot be ignored. The right flank of "Manchester United" worked well last night - Diogo Dalot and Garnecho delivered the ball into the final third and set up shots. The winger was often given width during positional attacks. The thing is, Varane often moved into the midfield, and Dalot stayed back to cover. Occasionally, Dalot himself moved towards the center of the field. It was easier for Garnecho to wait for the pass on the flank and then move towards the penalty area.
In addition to active movements, Alejandro had another important function - he set the pace for the attacks. Time after time, when the ball came to the right flank, the winger found space. And it was these moments on Garnecho and Dalot's flank that led to the first two goals.
Another reason for joy for the "Red Devils" was the goals from players who had been expected to deliver for a long time. Rashford and Højbjerg have different stories. The first is a talented graduate of Man Utd who cannot become a consistent leader of his hometown club - and after a bright season, he fell out of favor again. The second is a player who is hoped to replace the need for a forward in Manchester for many years. At the same time, he is young, inexperienced, and part of a crisis-ridden team. Therefore, he has not yet lived up to expectations.
And both surprisingly synchronously respond to their critics. They unleashed their firepower after Christmas. First, Rasmus scored the winning goal against "Aston Villa". Then, Marcus (the Norwegian fell ill) replaced him and scored against "Nottingham". Both of them scored in the match against "Tottenham" - and their goals allowed "Manchester United" to earn 1 point. Yesterday, they did it again.
Marcus and Rasmus' goals played an important role in the victory - after the match, Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes supported the Englishman, who has been under special pressure in recent months.
We all, not just Marcus, are having a tough season, but we know that some players are under closer scrutiny, and of course, we all, not just Marcus, have something to prove in light of this news.
Marcus scored a great goal, we know what qualities he possesses, what he is capable of, and what he can give to the team. I think he can handle it better than anyone else on the team.
And yet, at "Molineux", the "Red Devils" were the ones who needed saving. The team is still in turmoil. At the end of the first half, the visitors were leading 2-0 and could have increased their advantage. Or at least maintained it. In response to the first goal from "Wolverhampton", Scott McTominay, who came on as a substitute, scored.
But towards the end, the "Wolves" stepped up - by the 90th minute, their deficit was minimal, and in the 90+5th minute, Pedro Neto brought them closer to a sensation.
Something similar happened in the game against "Tottenham". It worked the other way around against "Aston Villa". However, for a club of Man Utd's scale, inconsistency cannot be a constant.
This time, they managed to smooth things out - young Kobby Mäenö brought the crowd to ecstasy. Just think - a few minutes before the final whistle, everything was slipping away from Man Utd. The ball was out on the opponent's half. Mäenö fought for it with Forss - who was quickly pushed aside. He had to go himself. The first move - played off by Gomes. The second - Kilman missed between his legs. Shifting to open space, a shot - a goal.
And all this was done not by Bruno Fernandes, not by Marcus Rashford, not by Rasmus Højbjerg. The 18-year-old midfielder, who is experiencing his first full season with the main team, saved Man Utd from disgrace.
Against the backdrop of Man Utd's overall decline, this looks particularly beautiful.
It is difficult to assess the chances of the "Red Devils" skeptically. Their problems have not disappeared - except that the leaders have returned to form. But let's talk about an important stretch.
With 35 points, "Man Utd" has once again approached the top five. They are in 7th place and are 1 point behind "West Ham". The next round will be against the "Hammers". And in a week's time, an away match against "Aston Villa", who have been making more mistakes and have only won one of their last 5 games (3-1 against "Newcastle" in the 22nd round).
On this note, the "Lions" have dropped to 5th place. So, the next matches for "Man Utd" are against direct competitors. When, if not now, should they join the race for the top five?
Vard
