Wolves saw off a tepid Manchester United at Molineux on Boxing Day with a 2-0 victory that lifted them out of the relegation zone.
United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off as his side went down – a fourth defeat in their last five Premier League games.
Fernandes earned a second yellow card two minutes after the interval and United’s gloom deepened as Matheus Cunha scored direct from a corner.
It was an embarrassing moment for United keeper Andre Onana and one that summed up the malaise at the club as they languish in the bottom half of the table.
Wolves held on through a nervy eight added minutes against the 10 men and Hwang Hee-chan made absolutely sure with virtually the last kick after a counter-attack to make it a joyous first home game in charge for new manager Vitor Pereira who began his reign with an away win at Leicester City.
Victory lifted Wolves out of the bottom three into 17th place with 15 points from 18 games while Ruben Amorim’s United ended the day in 14th place with 22 points.
Follow all of the latest reaction from Molineux in our live blog below:
Vitor Pereira maintains perfect Wolves record as Bruno Fernandes sent off in Man Utd defeat
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:46
Wolves’ Matheus Cunha speaks
On the new manager: “He comes here with a lot of energy, he say to us, ‘it’s a dream to come here and manage in the Premier League’.”
On his goal scored straight from a corner: “It’s my first time! We are training a lot, I was shooting, we train to shoot!”
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:40
Full-time: Wolves 2-0 Man Utd
What to say about Manchester United? That’s three defeats on the spin, and while it wasn’t as feeble as their beating by Bournemouth on the weekend, it wasn’t much of an improvement, even with 11 men. Bruno Fernandes’s red card was incredibly sloppy and Ruben Amorim has no chance if his best players can’t keep their discipline. Set-pieces meanwhile remain a weakness with another goal condeded directly from a corner, a phrase that should not apply to any Premier League team.
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:36
Full-time: Wolves 2-0 Man Utd
What a phenomenal start by Vitor Pereira, who has certainly got a reaction from his players since taking the job from Gary O’Neil. Matheus Cunha looks particularly lethal right now, and it’s not just his goalscoring but his workrate and link play that is of the highest quality – clubs all over Europe will be watching the 25-year-old right now.
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:34
Full-time! Wolves 2-0 Man Utd
And that’s the last action of the game. Wolves have won two from two under their new manager Vitor Pereira, and they are out of the relegation zone tonight, unless Leicester beat league leaders Liverpool.
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:27
GOAL! Wolves 2-0 Man Utd (Hwang, 90+9 min)
Garnacho loses the ball and Wolves rush forwards on the counter, sending Cunha through on goal with one long pass. The striker takes one look at Onana and decides unselfishly to square it for Hwang arriving in the box, who sweeps the ball home.
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:26
Wolves 1-0 Man Utd
90+6 min: A moment of relief for Wolves, as Cunha dribbles forwards and buys a free-kick from Dalot. Time is ticking away.
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:23
Wolves 1-0 Man Utd
90+5 min: Antony’s attempted cross from the right is terrible and easily cleared. In the centre circle, Maguire clearly handles the ball and the whole of Molineux screams for a free-kick, but the referee and his officials somehow miss it! United come again…
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:22
Wolves 1-0 Man Utd
90+3 min: Wolves make two more changes. Strand Larsen and Semedo are off; Dawson and Bellegarde are on.
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:18
Wolves 1-0 Man Utd
90+1 min: A decent delivery by Eriksen is flicked clear for a corner on the far side, which Eriksen takes too, but Wolves deal with it and smash the ball upfield, where Cunha hustles a throw-in from Mazraoui.
There will be eight minutes added on.
Lawrence Ostlere26 December 2024 19:18