Wolverhampton Wanderers repeated their 2018/2019 FA Cup defeat of Manchester United as a Chris Smalling own goal gave them another 2-1 win in a pulsating English Premier League game on Tuesday.
In spite of the distraction of next week’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final against FC Barcelona, Manchester United came out strongly for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s second game as permanent manager.
Romelu Lukaku missed an early point-blank header, before Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay swept a low 13th minute shot from outside the box past Rui Patricio to make it 1-0.
Undaunted and fielding a strong team in spite of their own distraction of an FA Cup semi-final against Watford on Sunday, Wolves quickly settled on a cold night at Molineux.
They soon began creating chances of their own.
Portuguese striker Diogo Jota hit a deserved equaliser from close range in the 25th minute, after a nervy-looking Fred had lost control and Raul Jimenez threaded the ball into the area.
Manchester United went down to 10 men in the 57th minute when right back Ashley Young was sent off for a second yellow card after a reckless hack on Jota.
That enabled Wolves to pour forward, and in the 77th minute they got the winner thanks to a Smalling own goal after a scramble near the line.
The result left Manchester United fifth on the table on 61 points, level with fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur who have played a game fewer.
Wolves are seventh on 47 points.
(Reuters/NAN)