Manchester United stormed up to sixth in the table after smashing Wolves 4-1 at Molineux, with Bruno Fernandes bagging a brace on a night where bottom club Wolves was booed, battered and left miles off the pace.
United struck first through Fernandes, only to wobble just before the break when Jean Ricner Bellegarde bundled in an equaliser. But the second half was one way traffic. Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount and a Fernandes penalty buried a Wolves side who looked shot of confidence and ideas, leaving Rob Edwards still pointless after four matches in charge.
Large pockets of home fans didn’t even see the early chaos many arrived 15 minutes late after staging protests against the club’s ownership. They didn’t miss much. United cut through Wolves with alarming ease, Dalot wasting a sitter, Johnstone denying Mbeumo, and Casemiro mugging Andre in midfield to set up the opener. Fernandes literally slipped over and still had time to recover and sneak the ball past the keeper.
Wolves rallied briefly. Toti cleared off the line from Matheus Cunha before Ki Jana Hoever’s cross and David Moller Wolfe’s knock-down teed up Bellegarde for a tidy finish Wolves’ first goal of the Edwards era. Even that came with a sting, as the midfielder limped off soon after.
Any hopes of a fightback didn’t last. More slack defending let Dalot break free again, rolling the ball across for Mbeumo to tap home. Then came the moment of class: Fernandes clipped a clever pass into Mount, who swept in United’s third. Minutes later, Yerson Mosquera’s handball gifted Fernandes a second from the spot. Wolves was done, the stadium half empty by the final whistle.
Fernandes deserved his Player of the Match tag. Tottenham’s James Maddison said on Sky Sports: “He’s underrated for the consistency he shows. Every time he gets it, he can see everything.” The numbers back it up, Fernandes now has 15 goal involvements in his last 14 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the drop zone.
Mount was buzzing too: “Some of the combinations was crisp and sharp. We know we’ve got that. It’s about creating chances and putting teams away.”
Ruben Amorim insisted he’s seeing real progress: “We scored four and had a lot of shots. We’re creating so much more than last season. I’m very pleased.”
For Wolves, it already feels bleak. Thirteen points from safety in December is the stuff of nightmares. For United, back to back away wins, climbing into the European mix, and another strong night for their captain hints at a side finally finding a bit of rhythm.
Premier League highlights, indeed.