For a team with aspirations of reaching the top-four, Manchester United can certainly make hard work of putting away teams from the bottom-four.
A night when mutiny was in the air among the locals at Molineux ended happily enough for Ruben Amorim and his players, a comprehensive looking victory lifting United up six places to sixth in the table.
But it was also one of those nights when the scoreline didn’t tell the whole story as United had to survive a scare against a team that could feasibly take Derby’s mantle as the worst in Premier League history.
It followed Thursday’s deflating draw with West Ham at Old Trafford, while Amorim’s side had to rely on a late equaliser against Nottingham Forest and even later winner against Burnley, having led in all three games.
They surrendered the advantage again here when Jean-Ricner Bellegarde cancelled out Bruno Fernandes’ rather bizarre opener at the end of the of the first half with Wolves’ first league goal in nine hours.
For a moment, even the home fans protesting against owners Fosun and executive chairman Jeff Shi stopped in the belief that they might be about to witness a first league win of the season rather than an eighth straight defeat.
On a night when Sir Jim Ratcliffe made an appearance and was seen in animated conversation with chief executive Omar Berrada and director football Jason Wilcox in the first half, failure to beat a team adrift at the foot of the table would have taken some explaining.
Amorim made his feelings known to his players in the dressing-room at half-time, and it produced a more convincing second-half performance and three more goals from Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount and another from Fernandes.
‘It was an important win,’ said Mount. ‘In the first half we let them back in it and we go into the changing room frustrated. The manager had a few things to say and then it was down to us to attack with purpose and finish our chances, so we’re happy with the second half.’
Fernandes was excellent again and added to his two goals with an assist for Mount who scored his third league goal of the season with a well-taken volley.
But, frankly, there would have been very little excuse for not winning this game against opponents in disarray on and off the field. If Wolves avoid relegation this season, it will be a minor miracle.
Their record coming is about as grim as it gets; 226 days without a league win, two points from 15 games this season and on course to equal Derby’s record low of 11.
‘Do you want to fade away, or do you want to fight?’ said manager Rob Edwards as he approached his fourth game in charge.
The pre-match protests outside Molineux that left swathes of empty seats behind both goals for the first quarter of an hour suggested that many fans are fearing the latter.
Their team were almost a goal behind inside eight minutes, however, as Fernandes’ quick free kick caught Wolves napping and released Diogo Dalot with only Sam Johnstone to beat, but the former United keeper sprang to his left to make the save.
It didn’t take United long to make the breakthrough, but it was a quite comical goal when it arrived.
Andre dithered on the ball midway inside his own half in the 25th minute and was caught out when Casemiro poked it away from him straight to Matheus Cunha, making his first return to Molineux since a £62.5million move to United in the summer.
The Brazilian skipped inside Emmanuel Agbadou but then under-hit a square pass behind Fernandes who slipped in the box. The United captain picked himself up and held off Agbadou before falling again as he stabbed the ball goalwards through Johnstone’s weak attempt to keep it out and past Yerson Mosquera as it bobbled over the line.
‘What the f****** hell was that?’ chanted the Wolves fans, and they had a point.
United could have been further ahead before half-time but Toti blocked Cunha’s effort on the line after Johnstone had denied Mbeumo, and Wolves stunned them with an equaliser in first-half injury-time. It was a first league goal in 540 minutes of league football for a team that didn’t score in the whole of November.
The ball was crossed from left to right and then back again before David Moller Wolfe scuffed it into the ground, rearing up towards Bellegarde unmarked in the box. The Haiti international met it first time, guiding the ball past through a ruck of players and past Senne Lammens.
However, United emerged for the second period with Amorim’s words ringing in their ears and renewed energy as they put the game beyond Wolves’ reach with two goals in the space of 11 minutes.
The first in the 52nd minute came after Luke Shaw broke up a Wolves attack with a tackle on Bellegarde. Cunha slid the ball through for Dalot and Johnstone’s dash out of his goal made it an easy decision to square to Bryan Mbeumo to score in an empty net.
Fernandes provided a fantastic cross for Mount to score the third and that was enough, but a fourth arrived in the 82nd minute. VAR official Nick Hopton spotted Mosquera blocking Amad Diallo’s shot with his arm, and Fernandes scored his second from the spot.
By then, the Wolves fans who were left inside Molineux had lost all hope.
