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By HARRY BAMFORTH and CHRIS WHEELER AT MOLINEUX and AADAM PATEL AT MOLINEUX Published: 03: 00 AEDT, 27 December 2024 | Updated: 06: 01 AEDT, 27 December 2024 255 View comments Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Wolves host Manchester United in Premier League action.   By Harry Bamforth Ironic cheers ring around Molineux. .. Antony just decides to have a crack after cutting inside and it hits the side netting. Some Manchester United fans think they have scored until the Wolves fans make them realise they haven't. Brutal. By Harry Bamforth Amad Diallo has been really quiet today. He has just got on the ball for what feels like the first time in forever and gives it away instantly. Wolves then break and have United on the ropes, but Andre Onana manages to get in the way of a low cross. United really are all over the place. By Harry Bamforth Molineux has really woken up now. The home crowd are rattling through the catalogue of chants as their players have a field day. Manchester United are going to need something special to turn this around, they really are. They can't get a hold of the ball. By Harry Bamforth Ruben Amorim has seen enough, he is making a triple substitution. Kobbie Mainoo has not quite had the influence at Molineux today that he did last season and he is being hooked. He is replaced by Casemiro, while Antony and Christian Eriksen come on for Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte. He is going for it! By Harry Bamforth I can't get over that goal, I really can't. I have seen goals direct from corners before but that really was something else. Manchester United have it all to do here and I don't think they are capable of it. By Harry Bamforth What have I just seen? ?? Matheus Cunha has just produced some real magic to fire Wolves into the lead. The Brazilian whips the ball into the back of the net directly from a corner. Andre Onana simply has to deal with it but take nothing away from the brilliance of the Brazilian. That is one hell of a goal. By Harry Bamforth It's all Wolves now, that's for sure. The hosts are throwing players forward in bucket loads as they hunt the opener. This could be a long old second half for United with 10 men. By Aadam Patel At Molineux By Chris Wheeler At Molineux By Harry Bamforth Molineux has suddenly gone really flat. It's weird because Wolves are well on top and Manchester United are down to ten men. You'd think they'd be well up for this. By Harry Bamforth The decision stands. Jorgen Strand Larsen is a hair width in front of Nelson Semedo as he squares the ball. I'm telling you, it doesn't get much closer than that. By Harry Bamforth Oh, wait a minute. .. . VAR are having a look at this and my word it is a tight call as Jorgen Strand Larsen looks in line with Nelson Semedo. This could go either way. By Harry Bamforth Molineux erupts! But their joy is short-lived after Jorgen Strand Larsen's header is ruled out for offside. It's a brilliant goal as he gets on the end of Nelson Semedo's cross, but it looks like he goes too early. What a moment that could have been. By Harry Bamforth Ohhhhh, what an awful challenge! Bruno Fernandes has been sent off for the third time this season and it's not a pretty tackle. The Manchester United captain goes in on Nelson Semedo with his studs up and scraped them down his calf. He's given a second yellow but I think that would have been a straight red card anyway. He shakes his head as he walks off and it's an awful start to the second half for United. By Harry Bamforth That break went quickly, didn't it? The two teams are already back on the pitch and we are back underway at Molineux. Will we get some goals in this half? I certainly hope so. By Harry Bamforth Matt Murray, former Wolves goalkeeper, on Amazon Prime: By Harry Bamforth Every time I cover Manchester United I almost always find pictures of Ruben Amorim with his hands on his face. I mean, once again Manchester United have not been particularly great, have they? I'm sure he will be making his feelings known as we speak. By Harry Bamforth Matt Murray, former Wolves goalkeeper, on Amazon Prime: By Harry Bamforth My word, Matheus Cunha really is some player, isn't he? Manchester United simply could not cope with the Brazilian in that half, he ran rings around them. He beat several players on several occasions and each time United had to resort to hacking him down. Some of the skills he has displayed really have been sensational, it's a joy to watch. The only thing is, he's not really getting into positions to create or score big chances. That's one thing he needs to change. By Harry Bamforth Tony Harrington blows the whistle to signify the interval. The Christmas cracker I promised has not quite gone to plan at Molineux, it has to be said. There have not been many chances, but Wolves have been edging proceedings ever so slightly. There's plenty more to play for in this one, though. By Harry Bamforth there won't be much time for either side to find a goal before the break. Just the one minute of stoppage time which is enough for one attack. By Harry Bamforth Wolves are really starting to take control of this game now. They are playing some lovely stuff and you just feel like a goal may be coming. Half-time isn't far away though, so they don't have long to make their pressure count for something. By Harry Bamforth Ohhhhh. .. Nelson Semedo comes within inches of netting a Christmas cracker from 35 yards. The Wolves captain unleashes a sizzling strike from miles out and it takes a violent deflection. The ball looks set to nestle in the top corner but flashes just wide at the last moment. What a goal that would have been. By Harry Bamforth My word, what a ball from Rayan Ait-Nouri. The full-back produces one hell of a low cross that is screaming to be prodded home. But no one in a Wolves shirt is there to meet it and it goes out for a Manchester United goal kick. That cross deserved a goal, it really did. By Aadam Patel At Molineux By Harry Bamforth Oh, Manchester United nearly make Joao Gomes pay. From the resulting free-kick, the ball is lofted to the back post where it's headed back across goal. Lisandro Martinez meets it marked but his header is denied low by Jose Sa. That's better, though. By Harry Bamforth It's bookings galore at Molineux. This time Wolves get their first as Joao Gomes goes in a little too hard on Bruno Fernandes. I mean, I think that's a little harsh from Tony Harrington. By Harry Bamforth It may be Christmas, but we have not been gifted to a great game here. Bar Jorgen Strand Larsen's header, there has not been that much to shout about at Molineux. Let's hope it improves. By Harry Bamforth That's more like you, Diogo! Dalot has a crack from distance again and he resorts to his old tricks as it flies miles wide. It did take a slight deflection, but the corner then comes to nothing. By Aadam Patel At Molineux By Harry Bamforth Andre Onana is needed for the first time tonight, and boy does he deliver. Manchester United don't deal with a ball in the box. .. shock and Jorgen Strand Larsen rises highest to meet it. He heads into the ground and the ball bounces toward the top corner, but Onana does well to turn it over the bar. The best chance of the game by far, which is not hard. By Harry Bamforth The teams are starting to resort to long shots, it seems. This time Goncalo Guedes fancies his chances from around 30 yards out, but guess what? Yep, his strike flies wide and high. I mean, it's very rare efforts like those find the top corner, but when they do it's unbelievable. By Harry Bamforth Oh my word. .. I'm in shock. Digo Dalot has actually managed to get a long shot on target, it's a Christmas miracle. The full-back normally blasts miles over the bar from distance but this time he produces a fine bending effort when the ball comes his way. Jose is equal to it, though. By Aadam Patel At Molineux By Harry Bamforth Matheus Cunha is starting to take the mickey out of Manchester United here. He once again produces another lovely bit of skill before driving forward but is then hacked down by Bruno Fernandes. The United captain tells him to get up but is given a yellow card for the challenge. By Harry Bamforth Oh, Wolves really should be ahead. The hosts flow forward brilliantly and the ball is spread to Matt Doherty on the right. The full-back drives into the area and just has to square the ball for Jorgen Strand Larsen in the middle. But he gets the ball all wrong and just fires it into the gloves of Andre Onana. A big chance goes begging. By Harry Bamforth Matheus Cunha, that is absolutely filthy! Jose Sa pings the ball his way on the left and he takes a ridiculous touch before sending his side on their way. In the end, he goes down but no foul is given. Still, I'm just gassed about how good the skill was, unreal. By Harry Bamforth I forgot this is Manchester United and they may not even find Rasmus Hojlund, even when they do try. Kobbie Mainoo has just had a crack at it and bent a pass out of play rather unimpressively. There are then ironic cheers from the home crowd as Hojlund throws his toys out of the pram in frustration. By Harry Bamforth I'm going to make an early prediction and say that Rasmus Hojlund will score today. I have noticed the striker make a few runs in behind already, but he has just not been found. One of those will come off, I am sure of it. Come back to this post when it does By Harry Bamforth It takes less than five minutes for us to get our first yellow card of the evening. Tony Harrington books Leny Yoro for denying Wolves a counter-attack. I mean, it's a blatant yellow and he doesn't complain. It's that type of game already, end-to-end. You've got to love it. By Aadam Patel At Molineux By Harry Bamforth This match has started at a break-neck speed and I love it. Both sides are hunting each other down whenever the other has the ball, the intensity is just so high. This is the kind of match we all love watching. By Harry Bamforth Nearly a lightning-fast start for Manchester United! It takes just 10 seconds for the visitors to fly forward and Noussair Molineux runs into the area with the ball. He picks out Rasmus Hojlund but for some reason, the striker does not try to get on the end of it. A let-off for Wolves early on. By Harry Bamforth Oh boy, this is going to be a cracker. .. I can feel it. Molinuex is a cauldron of noise as Vitor Pereira takes to the Molineux dugout for the very first time. Tony Harrington blows the whistle and we are off, who will come out on top? By Harry Bamforth My word, whoever is in control of the music at Molineux needs a raise. They are raising the roof here with rock music as the two teams come out of the tunnel. It has me pumped right up for this one, which is the desired effect. Well, to pump up the players, but still. Sadly it's ended by the rubbish Premier League anthem, which you know I dislike. The Wolves fans aren't fans either it seems as they boo it. Thankfully, it doesn't last too long and then we move to' Hi Ho Silver Lining' but the Wolves version. This place is rocking! By Harry Bamforth No surprises here. .. Manchester United have been practicing corners in the warm-up. I mean, when you are bad at defending them, you may as well keep training, even minutes before kick-off. We have seen them do this many times under Ruben Amorim but it has still not worked. Will it work today? By Harry Bamforth The noise levels are really starting to increase at Molineux. The vibes have not always been the best in this stadium this season, but you certainly can't say that today. There seems to be a feel-good factor here now that Vitor Pereira is at the wheel. We have just seen fire blasted into the air and chants being sung with more than five minutes until kick-off. It's only going to get louder and louder as well. By Chris Wheeler At Molineux By Harry Bamforth Matt Murray, former Wolves goalkeeper, on Amazon Prime: By Harry Bamforth My word, look at the fog. The two teams are just finishing off their warm-ups and the photographers have done well to even get pictures of the players. You can hardly see anything out there. Fans at Molineux will be squinting really hard to get any glimpse of the action this evening. They can rest their eyes for a bit longer, but kick-off is now less than 15 minutes away. Are we all excited? By Harry Bamforth My word, it's already been a pretty mental Boxing Day of footie. There have already been six matches today, and some of the results will shock you. Here are the results, so far: By Harry Bamforth Come on lads, cheer up! It does look like supporters want to spend their Boxing Day at Molineux, does it? They may be wearing Christmassy hats, but there is no Christmas cheer on these fans' faces. Maybe they will be smiling later. .. By Harry Bamforth This is the moment when Manchester United arrived and we all realised Marcus Rashford was not there. As you watch on it feels like he will pop his little head out at some point, but once again he is nowhere to be seen. Where does Rashford go from here? By Harry Bamforth Manchester United and set-pieces do not go well together, do they? Every time I watch the Red Devils they seem to concede from either a corner or free-kick, it's mental. They are basically the opposite of Arsenal. Whether it be Ruben Amorim in charge, or even Erik ten Hag, United just haven't been able to defend from set pieces. They have conceded 17 goals from them this season, excluding penalties, which is the most they have ever let in during a calendar year. I'm sure Wolves will have done their homework on them. By Harry Bamforth On one night in early February, a certain Kobbie Mainoo showed the world what he is all about. The 19-year-old had been knocking about for a few months, but United's last visit to Wolves is when he really made his name. The midfielder netted a 97th-minute winner for United to edge a seven-goal thriller at Molineux. It really was a crazy game which looked set for a draw when The hosts netted too late goals to level the game at 3-3. But then Mainoo had his moment. He sent the away end wild with practically the last kick of the game, bending a lovely effort into the top corner. And well, the rest is history. By Harry Bamforth Vitor Pereira, Wolves boss, speaking on Monday: By Harry Bamforth We have to talk about Matheus Cunha when Wolves are involved. The Brazilian forward has been brilliant this season, despite how poor his side has been. Whenever I watch him, he always stands out with his brilliant skills and expert finishing. I have to say, he is a joy to watch. The statistics back that up too. Cunha has been involved in nine goals in his last nine Premier League games, scoring six and assisting three. I wouldn't bet against him adding to that tally today. By Harry Bamforth It doesn't look like there is much Christmas spirit in the Manchester United squad, does there? I mean, look how grumpy they all look as they arrive at Molineux. In fairness, it could just be them being focused on the match they have ahead of them, which is a big one. Or they're just really moody. By Harry Bamforth While things have been rather gloomy at Manchester United this season, they have had one bright spark at the very least. Amad Diallo has been on fire for the Red Devils, especially under Ruben Amorim. In his last 11 matches, Diallo has been involved in 10 goals, scoring four and providing six assists. Not bad, eh? No matter how poorly his team-mates are playing, Diallo always seems to have some sort of impact. He has been balling out recently. Can he continue his fine form today? By Harry Bamforth I have a reason why, Chris! It's not all doom and gloom for Manchester United right now. I know their form has been pretty pants recently, but there is at least one reason to be positive today. United's record on Boxing Day is the best in English football history. That's right, United have 54 times on December 26, which is the most by any English league team. Maybe it is the season for the Red Devils to be jolly. By Harry Bamforth Chris Sutton, It's All Kicking Off! co-host, on BBC Sport: By Harry Bamforth What a cracking photo this is, eh? Molineux is currently engulfed in a cloak of mist, which are not the easiest of conditions to play in. Darkness is starting to ascend now though, and the mist may start to dissipate soon. But for now, I am just admiring the beauty of it. By Harry Bamforth Ruben Amorim, Man United boss, speaking about Marcus Rashford on Christmas Eve: By Harry Bamforth We asked the question, and we got our answer. Once again there is no Marcus Rashford on the Manchester United teamsheet. For some reason, I really thought he would come back sooner rather than later, but I was obviously wrong. It could be a while until we see Rashford back in a Manchester United shirt, if we ever do again that is. I'm sure Ruben Amorim will play the situation down again. By Harry Bamforth No surprises here. Rayan Ait-Nouri is the only change from Wolves win over Leicester at the weekend. He returns from suspension. It worked for Pereira in the East Midlands last week, but will the system work tonight? I guess we will have to wait and see. By Harry Bamforth Well, well, well. .. For a fourth time running, Marcus Rashford has been left out of a Manchester United matchday squad. Ruben Amorim makes just two ch\nges from the team who were beaten by Bournemouth. Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund both come into the side. By Chris Wheeler At Molineux By Harry Bamforth We simply have to talk about Marcus Rashford, don't we? The Manchester United forward has been the topic of conversation whenever his side have been in action of late. Why, I hear you ask? Well, it's because Ruben Amorim has not included the 27-year-old in a matchday squad since December 12. It's not because of injury either, Rashford has just not been fancied by his new boss in United's last three games. The end is well and truly nigh for the winger, who even came out and said he is ready to move on. Even so, you feel he will be back sooner rather than later if United want to drive up his price, right? Well, we will find out very soon if he is back in action today. By Harry Bamforth Ruben Amorim, Man United boss, speaking on Christmas Eve: By Harry Bamforth There was not much room for Christmas cheer for Ruben Amorim this year. I bet his motto was 'Bah Humbug' and he felt like Scrooge after the struggles he has had to endure as Manchester United boss. United's loss to Bournemouth at the weekend was a new low for the club this season, which is really saying something. The Red Devils were humiliated by the Cherries in their own backyard, showing just how much work Amorim has on his hands. His side spent Christmas in the bottom half of the top flight for the first time in 34 years, and no matter the result tonight, they will stay there for at least another few days. Regardless, Amorim will be hoping his side can get back on track and finish what has been a pretty pants year in a positive way. Can they turn things around at Molineux tonight? By Harry Bamforth Christmas time is a time for giving and spreading joy, isn't it? Well, Vitor Pereira certainly got the memo when he arrived in Wolverhampton a week before the big day. The new Wolves boss gave fans something to cheer about at the weekend, guiding his side to a 3-0 win away at Leicester in his first game. The result means that Pereira's side could finish the day outside the relegation zone if they win and other results go their way. What a Christmas present that would be, eh? By Harry Bamforth Who's up for some more Boxing Day football? Santa has done his thing, presents have been unwrapped, and I'm sure everybody reading this is still full from last night - I know I am. Christmas Day may have been and gone, but the fun is only just beginning this festive period. Boxing Day is the best day in the footballing calendar and we are really in the thick of it now. Our next stop on the festive fun train is Molineux for the battle of the strugglers. Wolves vs Manchester United. Vitor Pereira will take charge of the West Midlands side at home for the first time, looking to build on the three points he picked up before Christmas. Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim will be desperate to pick up some points after Sunday's humiliation at home to Bournemouth. It has all the makings of a Christmas cracker. .. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group