Wolves 1-4 Manchester United: Fernandes scores twice in easy win at disgruntled Molineux

Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Manchester United thrashed bottom club Wolves 4-1 at Molineux to climb to sixth in the Premier League table.

Monday's game was played against the backdrop of protests against Fosun International's ownership of Wolves, with many fans not entering the stadium until 15 minutes had passed.

By that point, Diogo Dalot and Bryan Mbeumo had already gone close for United, and the Red Devils went ahead following a litany of Wolves mistakes in the 25th minute.

Andre was dispossessed all too easily by Casemiro, and despite slipping following Matheus Cunha's lay-off, Fernandes recovered to squeeze a shot under Sam Johnstone's left glove.

Mbeumo, Cunha and Amad Diallo all passed up chances to make it 2-0, and instead, Wolves got their first goal in over eight hours of Premier League action, with Jean Ricner-Bellegarde steering David Moller Wolfe's cutback home in first-half stoppage time.

But United streaked clear in the second half, restoring their lead in the 51st minute as Cunha's pass released Dalot, and his centre was tapped into an empty net by Mbeumo.

Mason Mount made it 3-1 following a lovely chipped pass from Fernandes in the 62nd minute, and the United captain would get the second goal his performance deserved from the penalty spot.

After Diallo's shot was blocked by the arm of Yerson Mosquera, Fernandes slotted into the bottom-left corner from 12 yards to cap a win that lifts United to within a point of fourth.

Wolves are already guaranteed to be bottom of the table on Christmas Day, having made the joint-worst start to a season in Premier League history.

Data Debrief: Unwanted slice of history for Wolves

This was Wolves' eighth consecutive Premier League defeat, matching the worst-ever streak in their history at any level.

They previously lost eight in a row between December 1981 and February 1982, when they were relegated from the old First Division.

And Wolves' dismal start is almost unprecedented across all levels. They have made the joint-worst start to any campaign in the top four tiers of English football, alongside Sheffield United in the Premier League in 2020-21, Southport in the Fourth Division in 1975-76, and both Barrow and Newport County in the Fourth Division in 1970-71.

United, meanwhile, have won three and drawn two of their last five away Premier League games, last enjoying a longer such unbeaten run in February 2022 (three wins, four losses).

The Red Devils' 27 shots, with an expected goals (xG) tally of 4.1, were their most in a Premier League game under Amorim. Wolves had eight shots, with an xG value of 0.41.