Liam Keen comment: Wolves’ highlights are at the back in loss to United

A fairly dull contest saw Manchester United coast to victory, while Wolves flattered to deceive.

It was far from a poor team performance, but it was a typical display from a team already safe and with nothing to play for.

Toothless attack

It is often impossible to win a game of football without a single shot on target, meaning Wolves were always going to struggle at Old Trafford.

They managed five shots throughout the 90 minutes, but failed to test David de Gea with any of them. In contrast, United had 27 shots with nine on target.

The hosts obviously have bigger resources and a plethora of attacking talent, but Wolves are not short on quality and they must find a formula to get the best out of them.

Matheus Cunha was quiet and isolated as he attempted to drop into pockets of space and pick the ball up.

Pedro Neto – after good displays lately – was poor and failed to take advantage of the positions he got in to. On a positive note, the attacking substitutions were brighter and Hwang Hee-chan was the sharpest of the lot. The South Korean took up dangerous positions, made intelligent runs and was far more aggressive.

But Wolves cannot afford to continue being this toothless in front of goal. It has been a problem that has plagued the team for some time, and Lopetegui must find a solution.

Dawson’s influence

Of United’s 27 shots, seven of them were blocked by Wolves players, and two of those blocks were made by Craig Dawson.

The January signing was once again the stand-out defender at the weekend and continues to prove why Wolves were originally chasing his signature last summer.

He finally arrived when Wolves needed him most – for a snip at £3.3million – and has been a huge part of the club’s survival success.

Dawson is not a huge character, but he leads by example, has bags of experience and has added plenty to this side.

He is also quite close with Ruben Neves, as the skipper realised how essential Dawson’s arrival would prove to be.

Against United, Dawson also had an 88 per cent pass accuracy to accompany his defensive statistics.

He is a well-rounded, natural defender who has brought solidity back to the team, and made players around him better – Max Kilman and Nelson Semedo included.

Competition

A big part of the January mission statement, and Lopetegui’s aim for this squad, was to add competition in all areas.

Dan Bentley has been incredibly influential in the dressing room since he signed in January, as he patiently waited for his chance.

He is determined to challenge Jose Sa and add that competition, and he did himself plenty of favours with his performance on his Wolves and top flight debut on Saturday.

After one or two early, but minor, distribution errors, he settled and was a cog in Wolves building up through the thirds.

But his highlight moments came when United counter-attacked in the second half and had several good opportunities, but found themselves against a goalkeeper with a point to prove.

A handful of stunning saves meant he deservedly got all the plaudits.