Wolves v Manchester United LIVE: Latest score as Ruben Amorim recalls Hojlund and Yoro
Hosts Wolves can climb out of the relegation zone with victory over Ruben Amorim’s struggling Manchester United
Wolves welcome Manchester United to Molineux on Boxing Day as two newly-arrived Portuguese managers look to instigate a turnaround in fortunes for their sides.
The Vitor Pereira era got off to a fine start on Sunday as Wolves produced one of their best performances of the season, a 3-0 dispatching of Leicester clearing up much of the chaos that had led to Gary O’Neil’s exit. The veteran manager has waited more than a decade for another Premier League opportunity having narrowly missed out on the Everton job in 2013 and is desperate to make the most of it, with victory here lifting the club out of the relegation zone with Leicester not in action until later.
The visitors, meanwhile, concluded their efforts before Christmas with a poor showing against Bournemouth. A seventh defeat of the season leaves Manchester United languishing in the bottom half and with tough fixtures against Liverpool and Newcastle to come over the next few days, Ruben Amorim may need a result here to generate some momentum heading into the back half of the season.
Follow all of the latest updates from Molineux in our live blog below:
Wolves v Man Utd – team news
Rayan Ait-Nouri replaces Ricardo Gomes in the sole change to the line-up that thumped Leicester in Vitor Pereira’s impressive first match in charge.
Ruben Amorim makes two changes to his Manchester United team. Leny Yoro comes into the side for Tyrell Malacia, with Mazraoui presumably shifting from the back three to wing-back as a result, and Rasmus Hojlund returns to the starting line-up in place of Joshua Zirkzee up front. Matthijs de Ligt is back on the bench after a brief illness.
Wolves v Man Utd – line-ups
A reminder of how the two teams line up today:
Wolves: Sa, Semedo, Doherty, Bueno, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Andre, J.Gomes, Guedes, Cunha, Larsen
Subs: Johnstone, Dawson, Meupiyou, Lima, Doyle, R.Gomes, Bellegarde, Forbs, Hwang.
Manchester United: Onana, Yoro, Maguire, Martinez, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot, Amad, Fernandes, Hojlund.
Subs: Bayindir, De Ligt, Evans, Eriksen, Casemiro, Collyer, Garnacho, Antony, Zirkzee.
Match facts
In both Premier League and English Football League history, United have won more games and scored more goals on Boxing Day than any other side, with 22 wins and 74 goals in the Premier League and 54 wins and 202 goals all time.
United have only failed to score in one of their last 30 Boxing Day league games, a 2-0 loss at Stoke City in 2015.
Amorim: “We need to win"
In his pre-match press conference, Ruben Amorim reiterated that United “need to win the next match. That’s the only thing”.
“It’s very good for the fans. We are privileged. So we can play on Boxing Day to give some happiness to the fans and we want to win another game.
He added that he “doesn’t want anything from the fans”, commenting that “it’s just from us”.
“I cannot say better things for the fans. I understand as a coach, I understand the moment, I understand the frustration, the disappointment. I understand and we will improve, it will take time.
“So it’s just from us, they need our help, not the other way around. They are doing everything right.”
On Rashford being left out recently, he added: “When I feel that it is the right moment to change something [I will], until then I will continue to think what is the best for the team.
“I speak to him every day but not about the interview, about the performance.”
Match facts
Wolves are unbeaten in their last seven Boxing Day league games (W5 D2), having lost 11 of their 14 such games before this (W1 D2).
They have conceded a league-high 16 goals from set-piece situations in the Premier League this season (excluding penalties), while Manchester United have shipped a league-high share 41% of their goals from such situations.
The last manager to win both of his first two top-flight games in charge of Wolves was Sammy Chung in August 1977.
Match facts
Having won three of their first five Premier League home games against Man Utd (L2), Wolves are now winless in their last five, losing the last four in a row (D1).
United have won seven of their last eight Premier League games against Wolves, with the exception being a 1-0 home defeat in January 2022.
It’s Ruben Amorim’s ‘responsibility’ - but what are Manchester United’s problems?
Ruben Amorim vowed to address Manchester United’s issues dealing with set-pieces and setbacks after nerves got the better of his side in Sunday’s 3-0 home humbling by high-flying Bournemouth.
A week after the memorable comeback derby win at rivals Manchester City, boos greeted the final whistle following a loss that left the Red Devils marooned in 13th place in the Premier League.
The head coach’s press conference was then briefly interrupted by a leak from the media-room ceiling.
It’s Ruben Amorim’s ‘responsibility’ - but what are Manchester United’s problems?
Manchester United will spend Christmas in the bottom half for the first time since 1989 as Bournemouth won 3-0 at Old Trafford
Head-to-head
These two sides have met 96 times in the past, with the first meeting dating back to 1892. Overall, United have won 47, Wolves have won 32, and 17 have ended as draws.
Last season, Kobbie Mainoo scored a late goal to secure a 4-3 win in this fixture, after United had beaten Wolves 1-0 in their opening match of the season in August.
How Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United start compares to his recent predecessors
Ruben Amorim has lost three of his first six Premier League games in charge of Manchester United after Sunday’s humbling against Bournemouth.
Here, the PA news agency compares his record to his recent predecessors at Old Trafford, from Sir Alex Ferguson to Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag.
How Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United start compares to his recent predecessors
United go into Christmas in the bottom half of the table – 13th – for the first time in the Premier League era.
Manchester United team news
So Ruben Amorim makes two changes to his Manchester United team. Leny Yoro comes into the side for Tyrell Malacia, with Mazraoui presumably shifting from the back three to wing-back as a result, and Rasmus Hojlund returns to the starting line-up in place of Joshua Zirkzee up front. Matthijs de Ligt is back on the bench after a brief illness.
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