The magic of Cunha's Wolves and Fernandes' red card add to Manchester United's misfortune | first division

It was impossible to ignore the change in mood, fans chanting the name of their charismatic Portuguese coach, parachuted in to solve countless problems, but mainly the miserable results and weak defense. Determined to immerse himself in the local culture, he and his staff spent Christmas Day enjoying a traditional lunch at a local pub a few miles outside of town. Then there is the friction between those who pay their money in the stands and those who spend it in the boardroom. The outlook has been sad for some time now, players are probably thinking of a suitable escape route. The problem for Rubén Amorim is that Vítor Pereira was the coach who succeeded here.

For manchester unitedThere are already four defeats in their last five games. United, who drop to 14th, are eight points above the relegation zone, 11 out of the top four, something that is seriously fading from view, having taken seven points from a possible 21 since Amorim replaced Erik have Hag. Matheus Cunha – where would Wolves be without him? – scored the first goal, directly from a corner, and squared the ball eight minutes into added time to allow substitute Hwang Hee-chan to finish with ease. For Pereira, it has been an impeccable start, two wins out of two and the worst defense in the division has been assured. At least for now. At the same time, a cowardly United team never seemed to score.

If the first half broadly descended into a period of nothingness amid a thickening fog, the second was the polar opposite. They were just 85 seconds old when Bruno Fernandes was penalized for a poor tackle on Portuguese team-mate Nelson Semedo, catching the Wolves captain high on the ankle, and referee Tony Harrington was quick to issue a second yellow card. . Fernandes had been booked in the first half for tripping Cunha, the best (and arguably most talented) player on the pitch, a captivating forward capable of doing extraordinary things. Exhibit A here was the moment, 15 minutes into this match, when he controlled José Sá's clumsy pass to the left flank with an exquisite backheel and then played one-two with the typically tiger João Gomes, drawing Noussair Mazraoui into a move. raw takedown to stop their progress.

Just a minute after Fernandes removed the captain's armband from his biceps and left the field, Jørgen Strand Larsen headed in a cross from Semedo but the goal was disallowed. Then came a lengthy video check by the assistant referee, who deemed the Norwegian striker to be offside.

Cunha was determined to have fun despite the extra attention and his corner caught André Onana, under pressure from Matt Doherty, staggering in the fog, with the Brazilian's wicked ball dangling under the crossbar and curling up at the far post. Onana expected the referee to bail him out, but the same statement spoke volumes about United's insipid performance. In the end, seeing Harry Maguire trying to get a hopeful long ball into the box had echoes of the recent past.

United lacked rhythm from the moment Leny Yoro, promoted to the starting line-up to make his second league start for the club, was booked for cutting Cunha after four minutes. Yoro was among those retired shortly after the hour when Amorim made a triple substitution. Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Antony being presented. Then came Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee. Marcus Rashford? He was not included for the fourth consecutive game.

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