- Man Utd fell 1-0 at home to Wolves after plenty of rotation from Ruben Amorim
- Pablo Sarabia's stunning free kick sealed all three points
- Red Devils' youngsters caught the eye
Manchester United's domestic struggles continued on Sunday as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Red Devils made several changes as Ruben Amorim came good on his promise to prioritise the Europa League, and what followed was a match largely void of quality before Pablo Sarabia's late free kick snatched the win for Wolves.
How the game unfolded
Both sides made brave starts to the game which, despite not seeing a shot before Nelson Semedo's wild long-range drive 22 minutes in, made for entertaining viewing in the early stages. United's first effort of any kind came from a Christian Eriksen free kick 11 minutes later, comfortably tapped over the bar by stand-in stopper Daniel Bentley.
Wing-backs Harry Amass and Patrick Dorgu both played a handful of smart crosses into the box but were left questioning why nobody in red was on the end. That was a theme for both sides, who produced a combined 0.11 expected goals before the break.
A flurry of corners helped United keep the pressure on after the restart, as did a moment of excellent skill from Rasmus Hojlund, who was inches away from tapping home an Alejandro Garnacho cross at the back post.
Substitute Bruno Fernandes somehow sliced wide with 15 minutes to go after Garnacho's low cross proved too powerful for him.
It was another substitute, Sarabia, who stole the show with a dazzling free kick soon after. His glorious effort bent over the wall and crashed into the back of Andre Onana's net just four minutes after he joined the game.
Mason Mount blazed over in United's search for an equaliser, and United's fate was soon sealed as Fernandes ballooned a stoppage-time free kick well over Bentley's bar.
Man Utd's youngsters catch the eye
In the build-up to the game, Amorim made no secret of his plan to prioritise the Europa League and give the club's youngsters the chance strut their stuff in the Premier League. 20-year-old centre-back Tyler Fredricson was given his debut as a starter on the same side of the pitch as the inexperienced Harry Amass at left wing-back.
The game's overall lack of quality meant it was difficult for either player to catch out, but both Fredricson and Amass looked more than comfortable in United's starting lineup, with the centre-back popping up with some smart moments when challenged.
Amass was a regular threat down the left, instinctively whipping in a series of smart crosses which could have easily led to a goal on another day.
Wolves' substitute stopper stands strong
Jose Sa was supposed to start this game, but an injury late in the warm-up saw Daniel Bentley drafted in for just his second appearance of the season across all competitions.
United failed to ask any real questions of Bentley, particularly early on. Eriksen's simple free kick was all that came his way in the first half, giving the 31-year-old a delightful introduction to the game which, from United's perspective, he certainly did not need.
Bentley was sharp off his line after a tricky backpass from Emmanuel Agbadou looked to have given Rasmus Hojlund a sight of goal, but that was about as busy as it got all game.
Cunha's uneventful Old Trafford audition
Wolves forward Matheus Cunha is known to be a transfer target for United this summer, so scouts and fans alike will have been watching with a keen eye as they attempt to justify triggering his £62.5m release clause.
Was it a bad performance from Cunha? Not by any means. The Wolves forward was involved a lot down the left and caused the occasional problem with his movement and passing, but he found it hard to offer much more than that.
There were some delightful displays of close control from the Brazilian, and it's not hard to see why there is confidence his skill set could copy over to a stronger side, but this game will certainly not be looked at as one which impacted his transfer fate.
A dull battle of formations
Back in December, Ruben Amorim insisted it was unfair to compare United's performances in a 3-4-2-1 formation to Wolves' in the same setup as Vitor Pereira's side were supposedly "built" for it. Amorim urged doubters to judge United after they had built up experience in the new structure.
United may have had the edge for the most part, but these two sides largely cancelled each other out here. There was plenty of endeavour from both but, by lining up in the same formation, there were rarely any overloads or gaps for either set of players to exploit.
It came as no surprise to see the decisive goal come from a dead ball. Sarabia produced the only real moment of quality across the entire game, and no United formation would have been able to stop it.