Man Utd held to a draw by newly promoted team at Old Trafford

Goals: Fred 18' - Moutinho 53'

After a disappointing period with two consecutive defeats to Brighton and Tottenham, Man Utd showed signs of returning recently with a three-game winning streak. However, Wolves brought Mourinho's men back to earth by holding them to a draw at Old Trafford. This result meant Man Utd could not close the three-point gap to the top four and were eight points behind leaders Liverpool.

Pogba had an impressive performance last midweek when he had a hand in all the goals in the 3-0 victory over Young Boys. The French midfielder continued to make fans talk about his name with his "glaring at the vegetable, picking up the meat" style of assist for Fred to score the opening goal. This was also Fred's first goal for Man Utd after the blockbuster deal of nearly 70 million dollars.

Pogba's brilliant assist wasn't the only mark the French midfielder made in this match. Manager Mourinho once again found it difficult to understand why Pogba could play well and then play badly in the same match. In the second half, Pogba lost the ball, leading to an attack from Wolves and veteran midfielder Joao Moutinho punished Man Utd with an equalizer.

During the remaining time, Man Utd tried to push the squad up but did not have a sharp enough attack. Coach Mourinho's familiar trick is still to cross to find tall players like Fellaini, Lukaku or Pogba. This did not make it difficult for the Wolves defense, who are playing very well despite being newly promoted. Coach Nuno Espirito Santo's team has only lost one match after the first six rounds, ranking 10th with nine points.

The Old Trafford clash was a meeting of old Portuguese friends. Wolves boss Santo was Porto's reserve goalkeeper during Mourinho's time in charge from 2002 to 2004. Santo has admitted that his former boss was an inspiration in his coaching career and proved his worth in the match.

The Portuguese at Wolves includes not only coach Santo but also midfielders Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves, who share the same agent as Mourinho, Jorge Mendes. The duo helped Wolves stage a comeback in the second half, playing toe-to-toe with Man Utd's expensive midfield.

Mourinho must have been surprised by Wolves' quick play and sharp counter-attacks. The visitors could have made Man Utd suffer if Willy Boly's header and Raul Jimenez's shot had not been successfully blocked by De Gea. Moutinho's goal, Helder Costa's excellent effort and Jimenez's calm handling showed that the Premier League rookie was not at all intimidated even though he had to play at Old Trafford.

Moutinho's goal also helped Wolves become the first team to take points from the two Manchester giants this season. Before that, this team also held Man City to a 1-1 draw in the third round.

Man Utd's attack showed its weaknesses again in this match. Alexis Sanchez started after being rested midweek but failed to make an impression. The Chilean striker has been Arsenal's best player for many seasons and that form seems to have stayed in London. Sanchez has not scored a goal for Man Utd this season and the warning sign for him was when he was replaced early in the second half by Anthony Martial.

Man Utd's attacks in the second half did not have many breakthroughs even though coach Mourinho added Mata, Martial and Pereira. Fellaini's headers and Fred's low shots could not get past the hands of Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio./.

Bao Lam