MAN UTD 1, WOLVES 1
Ruben Amorim bemoaned a lack of creativity and fluidity after yet another missed opportunity for Manchester United after they were held at home by bottom-club Wolves.
The Reds remain sixth but would have jumped to fourth and into the Champions League places with victory.
It was a frustrating night for United who left the pitch at the end of both halves to boos as Wolves ended a run of 12 straight league losses.
Indeed, this was only Wolves’ third point of a season in which Rob Edwards’ side is on course to become the worst-ever Premier League side.
They arrived at Old Trafford having lost 19 of their previous 22 league matches since they won at United for the second time in four visits back in April.
Wolves are the first Premier League side to go 23 matches without a victory since Derby County in the 2007-08 campaign (32). The Rams ended the season with an all-time low 11 points but had four more points after 19 games (7) than Wolves do currently (3).
Wolves picked up 29 points in 38 Premier League games in 2025, a points per game ratio of just 0.76. It’s the worst ratio by a team in a full year of Premier League football since Huddersfield Town in 2018 (23 in 37 games, 0.62).
Wolves are only the second side in top-flight history to go 19 matches from the start of a season without winning, along with Bolton in 1902-03. They are the first in any of England’s top four divisions since Macclesfield Town in League Two in 2006-07.
When Joshua Zirkzee fired United ahead with a hugely deflected shot, it looked as though they use that as a platform to go on and win.
Wolves, who were unlucky recently to lose at Arsenal and Liverpool, didn’t buckle or waiver in their belief they could get something out of the game.
And they were rewarded with an equaliser from Ladislav Krejci and might even have snatched victory in the second period which would have been embarrassing had Wolves posted a first league win of the season.
Head coach Amorim, whose side has won only once in its last five home league games, said: “We struggled in all the game. We had a lack of creation, but we already knew it would be a different game to Newcastle.
“We had a different energy during the game. Looking at the 90 minutes, we had our chances, but the fluidity offensively wasn’t there. There is a lack of connections at the moment.
“Completely different game to the last one. We had more men behind the ball, when you have that you have to work harder to create more, have imagination and play the game in a different way. We lacked that today.
“They tried. We didn’t play well. When you don’t play well with the ball you struggle without it. We need to recover and go to the next one.”
Amorim is adamant United will be a completely different proposition when missing players return.
“We need to recover all our players then we will be a strong team. I have no doubts about that,” he said.
Wolves’ boss Rob Edwards said: “Least we deserved. Good performance, progress. That’s been slow in terms of results. But our performances, especially away from home, have been good and we deserved more.
Embed from Getty Images“We wanted to win the game. The away games we’ve had we should’ve taken more but we haven’t. We can take belief and confidence. The challenge now is to do that at home.
“We’ve got three points all season, it’s been really difficult so far. We’ve showed character, got one back against Arsenal and Liverpool and tonight again showed good character and quality. Good chances in the first half and we could’ve taken more. When I watch it back maybe I’ll be frustrated we’ve not taken more but the lads are working hard you can see that.
“You need results for the belief and buy-in. The lads are with us and on board but there’s nothing like results to get everyone on board. They are fighting – we don’t look like a team with only three points but the reality is that’s where we are. Keep continuing to build, we’re doing the right things.”
Zirkzee started for United as Mason Mount missed out through injury.
Mount’s absence meant Amorim was without eight senior players due to a combination of injury and international calls.
Teenage striker Chido Obi was named on the bench for the first time this season. Tyrell Malacia was United’s only outfield substitute over the age of 20.
Jhon Arias and Jackson Tchatchoua came in for Andre and Santiago Bueno for the visitors who were on an awful run of 12 successive defeats.
Their last away win came at Old Trafford in April, since when they have got one point in 11 games on their travels.
Luke Shaw almost gave United a fourth minute lead with an inswinging corner which keeper Jose Sa clawed out from under the bar.
Benjamin Sesko then cut in from the byline and created an angle before firing narrowly wide.
United had a huge slice of good fortunes when they made a 27th minute breakthrough.
Ayden Heaven burst forward and his pass deflected off Ladislav Krejci to Zirkzee.
Krejci tried to block Zirkzee’s shot only to deflect it past keeper Sa who was wrong footed.
It was Zirkzee’s second goal of the season and first league goal at Old Trafford since December 1, 2024.
Patrick Dorgu joined the attack, and his drive was deflected narrowly wide.
And from Shaw’s resulting corner, Sesko leapt at the far post to see his header strike the upright.
Wolves managed a couple of goal attempts, but Hwang Hee-chan and Tolu Arokodare both saw their efforts clear the bar.
They grew in confidence and Hugo Bueno forced the first save of the match from Reds’ keeper Senne Lammens late in the half.
And they were level in the 44th minute with Zirkzee having an unwitting assist as Bueno’s corner glanced off his head and fell to Krejci who at the far post headed back across the face of goal.
It was only the second goal scored by the Czech defender since his summer move from Spanish side Girona.
United made a change for the restart as Zirkzee was replaced by young Jack Fletcher for tactical reasons according to Amorim.
They almost regained the lead in comical fashion when Yerson Mosquera headed blindly back to Sa who was not where the defender thought he was. The keeper raced back and managed to claw the ball out just as it was about to cross the line.
Wolves almost snatched the lead mid-half after comical United defending let in Krejci whose shot was parried by Lammens who made a brilliant recovery to claw the ball to safety as Mosquera slid in to slot home the loose ball.
Amorim made two further changes with 15 minutes left as Heven and Manuel Ugarte made way for Leny Yoro and debutant Bendito Mantata, 17, who has been at the club since the age of nine.
Wolves remained a threat and Jhon Arias had a goalbound shot deflected off Yoro as it flashed just wide.
United momentarily thought they had won it in the last minute.
Casemiro fed Sesko whose shot was parried by Sa with Dorgu firing the loose ball into the roof of the net.
The joy quickly subsided as it became clear Dorgu was clearly offside, though it took an age for it to be confirmed by VAR.
As the whistle sounded after more than six minutes of stoppages the Wolves’ fans celebrated with ironic chants of ‘we’ve won a point’ and ‘can we play you every week?’