For Manchester United, a soothing return to winning ways to avert any sense another mini-crisis was brewing. Victories are scarcely this comfortable, even if Ruben Amorim’s side needed to navigate the briefest of scares when Wolves equalised with half-time looming. United turned on the style after the break, the manager clenching his right fist when Mason Mount made it 3-1 with a smart volley, building on goals by Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes, who also rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot.
For Wolves, this was yet another demoralising defeat, a 13th in 15 league matches. The last time they tasted victory, in April, Matheus Cunha, who enjoyed his return to Molineux in United’s all-black strip, opened the scoring. Nine fan groups totalling thousands of supporters protested against the Wolves owner, Fosun, by boycotting the first 15 minutes. Supporters voiced their anger at the players, too. “You’re not fit to wear the shirt,” they sang, and jeered Jørgen Strand Larsen when he was taken off. There were pantomime laughs when the fourth official indicated at least nine minutes of stoppage time.
This season, primed to end in relegation, has been a painful slow puncture. Still, only another 23 league games to go. Next up, a trip to the leaders Arsenal on Saturday. How many points will Wolves take from the remaining 69 available? Will they beat Derby’s unwanted record-low tally of 11 in 2007-08? At this stage last season Southampton, who ended with 12, were on five. The mood music will not change anytime soon and it threatens to be a long six months for Rob Edwards, for whom this was a fourth straight defeat since taking charge. The stands were almost empty long before the final whistle, after which Cunha saluted those who stayed until the end. Wolves are a shell compared to the club that reached Europe under Nuno Espírito Santo.
