Key events
36 min Ait-Nouri runs at Mazraoui and drives an inviting ball that flashes across the six-yard box and behind for a goalkick. Gerd Muller used to dream of crosses like that.
36 min When Channel 5 finally get their act together and compile the 100 Greatest Boxing Day First Halves, this will not trouble the judges.
35 min Fernandes’s angled free-kick is won in the air by Dalot beyond the far post. The ball flies towards Martinez, whose instinctive flicked header is comfortably saved by Jose Sa. Not much of a chance.
33 min Joao Gomes leaves a bit on Bruno Fernandes and is booked.
31 min I forgot to say that it’s very foggy at Molineux. Any excuse.
30 min A comical shank from Ugarte, 25 yards from goal, turns into a perfect pass for Diallo. He tries an imaginative scoop towards Fernandes but the space is too tight and Jose Sa claims the ball.
29 min Diallo’s corner is headed back to him, at which point he’s challenged well by Cunha.
28 min Mainoo angles a sharp cutback towards Dalot, who makes a good run infield and whips an early shot that is deflected over for a corner.
26 min: Good save by Onana. Semedo curls a good cross towards Larsen, who jumps early to get above Maguire and powers a downward header towards goal. There’s no pace on it but it kicks up awkwardly and Onana has to react smartly to tip it over the bar.
25 min Hojlund almost catches out Jose Sa, who dawdles on the ball but then chips it calmly away from Hojlund’s attempted block.
23 min Guedes makes ground on the break and cuts across a long-range shot that rises too quickly and clears the crossbar.
20 min: Good save by Sa! Dalot wanders infield from the left and curls a fine effort towards the far corner from 22 yards. Sa dives a long way to his left to push it behind.
19 min Cunha tries to surprise Onana from the resulting free-kick, curling towards the near post with everyone waiting on the far side for a cross. Onana saves comfortably to his left.
18 min Mainoo curls a teasing cross from the right that only just evades Hojlund eight yards from goal. That was crying out for a Keith Houchen header.
Wolves break through Cunha, who beats Mazraoui with a lovely bit of footwork. Fernandes trips him and is booked.
15 min Doherty nicks the ball off Fernandes, who was given a poor pass by Dalot, and keeps running. The ball is returned to Doherty on the right side of the area and he slides a low, first-time cross that is well claimed by the diving Onana. Larsen was waiting behind him and would have had an open goal.
13 min Fernandes’s free-kick from the right is punched away by the flying Jose Sa. United are dominating possession without really penetrating the Wolves defence.
11 min For the second time in the game Mainoo overhits a fairly simple pass to Hojlund on the wing. Hojlund, who had made a good run from centre to left, throws his hands in frustration.
10 min Wolves are happy for United to have the ball in the middle third and are only really engaging when they get beyond that. At the moment it’s stalemate.
7 min Fernandes plays a slick one-two with Mainoo on the edge of the area and has a shot blocked, possibly by Andre.
4 min Cunha gets away from Yoro, who pulls him back and is booked.
4 min Ugarte makes a good tackle on Joao Gomes and tries to put Hojlund through from the halfway line with a sliderule pass. It’s slightly underhit and Hojlund was offside anyway.
2 min “Now, don’t get me wrong, it is very funny,” says Matt Dony. “But, even as a Liverpool fan, it all seems wrong. My formative football years were wrapped up with Fergie steamrollering all comers. It didn’t seem like anything would ever change. But oh boy, has it changed. Even in those post-Ferguson years, at what seemed like low ebbs, I always had a sneaking suspicion they could roar back into life. Those years were still dotted with trophies and occasional good performances. It doesn’t feel like that now, though. And weirdly, that makes me sad. United shouldn’t be this team in this position. It isn’t right. I don’t like it. And yet, here we are. 14th on Boxing Day. It’s amazing.”
Trul, Matthew: be careful what you wish for.
1 min Almost a chance for United after 20 seconds. Mazraoui nicked the ball off Cunha, took a return pass from Hojlund and angled a cross that evades both Hojlund and Fernandes in the middle.
1 min Peep peep. Man Utd, in their retro white change strip, kick off from left to right as we watch.
Here come the players. These players, to be exact.
Wolves (3-4-2-1) Sa; Doherty, S Bueno, Tito; Semedo, Andre, J Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Cunha; Larsen.
Substitutes: Johnstone, Hwang, Dawson, R. Gomes, Doyle, Forbs, Bellegarde, Meupiyou, Lima.
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Diallo, Fernandes; Hojlund.
Substitutes: Bayindir, de Lijt, Evans, Casemiro, Collyer, Eriksen, Antony, Garnacho, Zirkzee.
The updated Premier League table
West Ham’s win at St Mary’s means Man Utd have dropped to 14th before kick off.
Today’s Premier League results
Team news
Rayan Ait-Nouri replaces Rodrigo Gomes at left wing-back for Wolves, the only change from their 3-0 win at Leicester. Manchester United have made two changes: Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund come in for Tyrell Malacia and Joshua Zirkzee. Marcus Rashford is again excluded from the squad.
Wolves (3-4-2-1) Sa; Doherty, S Bueno, Tito; Semedo, Andre, J Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Cunha; Larsen.
Substitutes: Johnstone, Hwang, Dawson, R. Gomes, Doyle, Forbs, Bellegarde, Meupiyou, Lima.
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Diallo, Fernandes; Hojlund.
Substitutes: Bayindir, de Lijt, Evans, Casemiro, Collyer, Eriksen, Antony, Garnacho, Zirkzee.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Wolves v Manchester United at Molineux. You know things aren’t going well when a trip to a team in the bottom three looks tricky, but that’s where Manchester United are at right now. They were hammered at home by Bournemouth on Sunday and start today’s game in 13th place, their lowest position at Christmas since 1986-87.
Wolves are in 18th, but they won impressively in their first game under Vitor Pereira and another victory today would lift them out of the relegation zone. And if United win well they will jump into the top half of the table. It’s all to play for.
Kick off 5.30pm
