Wolves 0 Manchester United 5

Ten-man Wolves hit rock-bottom as champions Manchester United strolled to an easy win at Molineux.

Goals from one-time Mick McCarthy target Jonny Evans (21), Antonio Valencia (43) and Danny Welbeck in the first minute of time added on at the end of the first half killed any hopes of Wolves ending their seven-match winless home run.

And a second-half brace from Javier Hernandez in the 56th and 61st minutes sentenced them to their equal biggest defeat to the 6-0 loss to Southampton in March 2007.

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Wolves' third successive defeat and sixth in a row at home dumped bottom of the Premier League on goal difference.

Ronald Zubar's 39th-minute sending off gave the hosts a mountain to climb after he saw red for a second bookable offence for needless lunges on Wayne Rooney and Welbeck.

And Wolves, who went into the game without four injured central midfielders in Jamie O'Hara, Nenad Milijas, Karl Henry and Emmanuel Frimpong, suffered another when David Davis limped off in the 43rd minute.

And their third recent five-goal hammering made it 19 goals conceded in the last five games, 14 of which have come under new manager Terry Connor.

Connor made one change from the side that lost 2-0 to Blackburn last week.

Kevin Foley returned to the team in place of Jamie O'Hara, who failed to shake off his persistent groin injury in time.

Wolves started in the same formation they played against Rovers, with Foley and Davis 'sitting' and Kevin Doyle wide right, with Dave Edwards taking O'Hara's more attacking midfield role.

The early exchanges were tentative, but Wolves were just getting into their stride when United took the lead from the game's first corner.

Earlier, Javier Hernandez had missed an open goal sliding in for Raphael da Silva's cross before Doyle's shot on the turn was comfortably gathered by David De Gea.

With Matt Jarvis again looking bright on the left for Wolves, the hosts looked like they could cause the champions problems.

Jarvis was shoved to the ground in the penalty area following an aerial challenge with Raphael in the 17th minute, but referee Anthony Taylor waved play on.

A minute later, Wolves created their best chance of the opening period when Steven Fletcher glanced inches wide from Jarvis' cross.

But that was the last we saw of Connor's side as an attacking force as United punished slack marking to take the lead.

Michael Carrick was allowed time and space to pull off the defence at the far post to hook back Rooney's corner and, despite having 10 men back, no one was close enough to block as Evans swept home his first league goal for United.

Zubar was booked for his first foul in the 28th minute when he went through on Rooney, and the referee had little alternative than to brandish a second yellow card when he caught Welbeck around the ankles 11 minutes later.

His dismissal was the last thing Wolves needed and was the cue for United to exploit the extra space in typically ruthless fashion with two goals in five minutes.

In fact their second came from Wolves' first corner, as Rooney picked up possession in the centre circle before spreading play to Valencia on the right and the former Wigan winger sped away from Stephen Ward and Jarvis before lifting the ball over keeper Wayne Hennessey from just inside the six-yard box.

United's third came when the unmarked Welbeck swept home Valencia's right-wing cross after a magnificent crossfield ball from Evans.

If Wolves thought United had finished at half-time, they were wrong as the visitors pummelled the 10-man hosts.

After Rooney's curling 25-yarder had been tipped away by Hennessey, United worked the resulting corner short and eventually Hernandez headed home unmarked from Raphael's cross.

Hernandez grabbed his second and United's fifth five minutes later when he rifled into the roof of the net after some incredible footwork from Valencia, who couldn't get his shot in.

Seemingly resigned to their fate, Wolves fans responded to the increasingly one-sided affair by creating a superb atmosphere, with the South Bank even trying to create a Mexican wave at one stage.

It was admirable of the fans to put on such a brave face amid mounting humiliation.

But it was all they could do as the Championship looms ever closer.