Wolverhampton's season just got interesting and the team started to lift under Vitor Pereira. A 2-0 win over Manchester United at Molineux, with the outstanding moment a sumptuous Olympic goal from Matheus Cunha, made it two wins on the spin for the new coach and took Wolves out of the bottom three, where United continue to slip alarmingly.
Follow Playing for 90 on X (Twitter).
Brilliant and instructive
Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha was the man of the match. Twelve minutes into the second half, he netted a very rare and unbelievable goal directly from the corner kick that completely caught Onana off guard. This is Cunha's third consecutive Premier League match with a goal, something only a few players have ever managed to achieve in Wolves history.
But he wasn't done there. In injury time, Cunha started a lethal counterattack from deep inside his own half before selflessly setting up, rather than shooting himself, Hwang Hee-chan to wrap up the 2-0 victory. It encapsulated the fresh confidence oozing through Wolves now under Pereira's rule.
Manchester United's catastrophe
On the other side, it was another frustrating night for Manchester United. While United was dominant in the first half of the game, enjoying 58% possession and more open chances, their control evaporated in the early moments of the second half when Bruno Fernandes was sent off: the Red Devils captain gave away a clumsy foul on Semedo and saw his second yellow card, sending United down to 10 men.
Without their playmaker, Ruben Amorim's side lost both structure and offensive edge. Half-hearted efforts from Maguire and Garnacho failed to make an impact while United's defensive weaknesses were exposed yet again. With nine goals conceded from corners this season, United has the worst record in the Premier League in this area.
Vitor Pereira's rebuild
The influence of Vitor Pereira at Wolverhampton is already being told. After a spell of negativity under Gary O'Neill stewardship, Pereira has since restored the defensive organization to the team and intensity for which he was brought in. As he stated: "My teams usually have good defensive organization, and I like to see my defensive line as a Swiss clock, perfectly coordinated. Today, with commitment and the support of our fans, we had something special.".
That victory over United made Pereira the first Wolves manager to win his first two top-flight games since Sammy Chung in 1977. It's also a big landmark for the Portuguese coach himself, as he joins José Mourinho as the only Portuguese managers to win their first two Premier League matches.
What went wrong for the Red Devils?
Under increasing pressure, it was a tactical nightmare for Ruben Amorim as Wolves ran riot at Molineux. The lack of aggression in the final third coupled with an inability to recover after Fernandes' dismissal was his side's doom. The coach said, "Even with 10 men, we were close to their goal, but set-pieces changed the game and made everything harder.
Amorim also achieved the unwanted feat of being the first Manchester United manager to lose five of his first 10 games in all competitions since Walter Crickmer in 1932. It is getting worse for United with four defeats in the last five Premier League outings and tougher fixtures against Newcastle and Liverpool coming up.
Opposite paths
With the win, Wolverhampton took a breath of air and crawled their way out of the relegation zone to 17th place with 15 points. While they remain well off the cut line, improvements under Pereira are clearly visible.
The future, however, is gloomy for Manchester United. Inconsistency in the back four and an inability to respond to moments of adversity saw them drop to 14th place with 22 points.