Wolves 0 Manchester United 1 - Fan verdict

Rob Cartwright

Well I know nothing about Hwang Hee-Chan, but if he’s any good at scoring in or around the box he’ll score loads in this Wolves team.

It was a case of deja vu, as we started quickly taking the game to Man United and they struggled to hold on until finding the killer blow late on.

Just like the two previous league games, Wolves played some great attacking football and kept us on the edge of our seats, especially with the trickery of Trincao and Traore. The entertainment factor is the highest since promotion, but we have no goals to show for all the attempts on goal.

Traore, in particular, was unstoppable. Time after time he ruthlessly shrugged off the United challenges and fouls and broke with the ball. It’s just the final ball that lets him down; whether to shoot or pass, if it’s a pass then who to? This is the difference between a £50m player and a £150m player. I can’t believe I’m writing that, but it’s true in today’s world of football.

Bruno has us playing much higher up the pitch and it’s difficult to fault either midfield or defence. Jimenez is not firing on all cylinders yet, but he will only get this through game time so it’s quite a dilemma for game management.

Man United we’re rattled here and spent quite a lot of time arguing with the referee, in the first half. They were better in the second half but we matched them and the game was on a knife-edge. Saiss should have scored when DeGea made a double save. I think he should have scored the rebound.

Mike Dean, not to be out shadowed by the players, made an appalling decision to play on following a foul on Neves by Pogba. He was literally 6 yards from it and clear sighted; maybe he was too close. Of course, United go on to score!

Two things frustrate me:

- not the refs original decision, but his failure to take a second look pitch side. He would have changed his decision if he had.

- Wolves played the ball out of play when a United player was injured while we were breaking in a similar position in the first half. They did not reciprocate which is shameful.

So we have no points and no goals from the first three games. I’m not concerned as we are playing well and creating loads of goal opportunities.

We have a group of players in good form. Marcal, Kilman, Neves, Moutinho and Traore all played well again.

Man of the match goes to Traore who was unstoppable in this game.

It’s going to be a nervy two days to see if we can hold onto him for one more year.

Clive Smith

Something's in football you love. Something's you hate. Today had all of that.

Ignoring the stats, ignoring the decisions, the first half of Wolves football was a joy to watch. Our best 45 minutes in a long while. If this is the game plan under Bruno then we are heading in the right direction. If we could just sign Lady Luck before the transfer window ends..

Of course we did not score and we have lost three in a row but that is just letting the stats dictate part of the narrative.

We took the game to United and had them on the rack and desperate at times. Our passing was crisp, in the main, and the tempo was good. We moved the ball well, sometimes with short passing combinations, sometimes with long direct passes. We closed down quickly, frequently won the ball back with tackling individually and in groups. Meanwhile we also looked comfortable in possession and confident in our style of play, with and without the ball.

Playing Traore in the channel brings an extra dimension to our attack. His pace is put to more use with him heading towards goal rather than always going down the touchline. The summer also seems to have recharged the Neves and Moutinho batteries because they were able to dictate and direct things in midfield.

Everything obviously comes down to the end product. Jimenez, Trincao, Saiss, Traore and Moutinho might all have put the finishing touch to our creative play and broken our duck.

We looked more resolute and in control while defending set pieces and thankfully our own corner routines, some short, some long, have started to offer a goal threat of their own. These two areas were certainly labelled up as 'could do better' from last term.

We did not dominate the second half as much. United had more of the ball and played it in our half more but the game continued to be in the balance as we looked like we had a goal in us. Not for the first time in the game many of us were out of our seat as Saiss looked certain to give us the lead.

However, yet again, we succumbed after playing so well. It was an unsatisfactory goal in a number of ways with Mike Dean and Jose Sa sharing some of the blame. Dean could have blown for a foul, he could have stopped play with a player injured (as he had done in the first half). United could have put the ball out, as we had done in the first half. Instead, they score.

More performances like this and goals will come for sure and we will enjoy more games than we have done over the last twelve months. Trincao is improving game by game while several others are much improved from last season. Traore was MOTM and his dominating performances are reminiscent of Neto's influence twelve months ago.

Russ Evers

Same old story.Play well, deserve to win, miss chances, get cheated by the referee and VAR and ultimately lose.

This should have been 3-0 before the quarter of an hour mark but wasn't. We simply cannot continue to miss chances week after week and as well as we are playing we are currently 9 points behind Nuno's Tottenham and have yet to score let alone get a point.

We asked for entertaining football and we have had that with Trincao and Traore running United ragged for 70 minutes before both were inexplicably withdrawn and our chance had gone.

The Man United fans were left singing songs about Ronaldo as they had little to cheer about on the pitch today and if Pogba and Fred and are £160million pound pairing in midfield then Pete Davies and Dougie Wright would only be about £10 million behind.

But with just one up from the cannot afford for Raul to move the wing as we have nothing then in the middle.

Still there are 35 games to go and we are averaging 24 shots per game.

The key is now to remind everyone where the goals are.

Onwards and upwards

John Lalley

From the moment Wolves wasted two glorious opportunities within the first fifteen minutes, there descended a horrible air of inevitability regarding the final outcome of this match.

Referee Dean became the convenient and hapless pantomime scapegoat for the boiling frustration, but this was a self-inflicted wound of the most grievous proportions.

Chance after chance was spurned with a profligacy that defied logic; this is déjà vu gone haywire.

We have fearlessly mixed it with three of the best outfits in this league; faced them down without a flicker, caused them all serious strife and ended up with absolutely nothing to show for it.

The truth is if your own fallibilities give the likes of Leicester, Spurs and United a lifeline, they will gratefully cash in and strangle you.

We seem to be slow in deciphering the lesson. Bruno Lage has in reality worked a minor miracle with this group of players.

After the turgid, timid bore-fest that made last season an endurance test beyond vexation, he has released the inhibition and encouraged the entire squad to express themselves in a refreshing and creative style.

Until we reach the opposition penalty area, it is a treat to behold; such an absolute pleasure to be inside Molineux once more.

For this alone, I and the whole Wolves’ fraternity no doubt are aching for this coach to succeed.

He must be mortified that come the first international break, Wolves sit licking their wounds both scoreless and pointless.

His football philosophy might just be what this club needs but he more than anyone will be aware that hard luck stories are an irrelevance that no team can afford to hide behind.

The bottom line is abundantly clear; Wolves have made a lousy start to what was always likely to be a difficult campaign for the club.

Excuses, mitigating circumstances and taking solace in defeat are all indulgences we simply cannot afford.

Our three defeats may all have been harsh and the sense of disappointment is bitter but Wolves need to start scoring and start winning very rapidly.

One lovely touch yesterday which I have no idea if the television cameras picked up.

A Wolves corner was delayed and as the players waited David de Gea sought out Raul Jimenez and presumably made some supportive comment regarding his return to fitness; from his response, Jimenez clearly appreciated the keeper’s remarks. Football excels in cynicism but this pleasant human gesture was a heart-warmer.

I hope plenty of other spectators cottoned on. Excellent indeed!