Manchester United started the Boxing Day match against Wolves as they were 13th in the Premier League, their lowest position at Christmas since the 1986-1987 season.
The "Red Devils" ended the day in 14th place after the home team won their second consecutive victory under new coach Vitor Pereira. Goals from Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan left Man United empty-handed.
In fact, Man United started well at Molineux and almost completely controlled the match. However, they could not put enough pressure on Wolves' defense. The "Red Devils" wastefulness in ball control was punished, as the home team played better and won.
The game changed completely in the 46th minute, when Man United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a second yellow card after a foul on Nelson Semedo. Wolves were boosted by a better player and took advantage immediately afterwards.
Cunha's corner kick suddenly went straight into the Man United goal due to the helplessness of goalkeeper Andre Onana. The Wolves added a second goal in the final minutes when Cunha assisted Hwang Hee-chan to shoot past Onana from close range.
Man United were largely unbalanced throughout the match. Coach Amorim will be concerned about how the "Red Devils" allowed Wolves to regain control of the game easily. Amorim will be disappointed in particular by his side's lack of attacking power. The Portuguese tactician will also lament the red card to captain Bruno Fernandes.
Amorim made just two changes to the starting line-up against Wolves - the fewest since he took charge at Old Trafford. It seems that Amorim is getting closer to his favorite squad, but there are still many limitations. Everything had to change after the red card, but Amorim's substitutions had little effect.
"We have to improve the connection in the squad, but the whole team had some relatively good moments. However, Man United lacked the necessary intensity. We didn't train enough, just played and tried to find a way to win, but that wasn't enough.
We couldn't control the game like in the previous matches. Although not really dominating, Man United did well in some situations, especially set pieces. However, the red card made things extremely difficult" - Amorim said after the loss to Wolves.
