Wolves 2 Manchester United 0: What was Fernandes doing? An olimpico problem, what next for Amorim?

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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for the third time this season as Ruben Amorim’s team lost for the fourth time in five Premier League matches.

After a lacklustre first half, Fernandes did not help his team two minutes after the restart. Already on a booking, Fernandes scraped down Nelson Semedo’s ankle and was shown a second yellow by referee Tony Harrington.

It soon went from bad to worse in the 58th minute when Matheus Cunha’s corner went over Andre Onana and straight into the far corner, the second time United have conceded an ‘olimpico’ in a week.

United’s ten men went in search of an equaliser but the result was put beyond doubt in the ninth minute of added time when Cunha broke clear and teed up Hwang Hee-chan to slam in from close range.

It made it two wins in two for new Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira — how Amorim, who again left Marcus Rashford out of his squad, must be dreaming of back-to-back victories. His team have slipped to 14th.

The Athletic’s Mark Critchley analyses the action from Molineux.

What was Fernandes thinking?

Fernandes only had two career sendings off to his nam before the start of this season, both during his time at Sporting CP. He has surpassed that total in just 27 appearances this season.

The United captain became the club’s first player to be sent off three times in a single campaign since Nemanja Vidic in the 2008-09 campaign. And it took Vidic until March.

And though the straight red against Tottenham Hotspur was rightly rescinded and even the one a few days later in Porto could be questioned, this time he could have no complaints.

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Fernandes is sent off by Tony Harrington (HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)

If the foul on Cunha for the first booking was cynical, the second on Semedo was reckless for any player — never mind one already on a yellow, never mind for a United skipper.

And for US readers:

Fernandes has always played with an edge. Perhaps a concentrated flurry of sendings off was inevitable sooner or later. But at a time when United desperately need leadership, their captain was found wanting.

Why are United conceding olimpicos?

If you had ‘United will concede twice directly from a corner in the space of a week’ on your 2024-25 bingo cards, then fair play. You have to admire how this team finds new, bizarre ways to underwhelm.

Anyone at Old Trafford who hadn’t heard of an ‘Olimpico’ this time last week certainly will have now after Cunha emulated Son Heung-min in finding the net from the most acute of angles.

Altay Bayindir did not cover himself on glory for that error against Tottenham and nor did Onana on this occasion either, misjudging the flight of the ball entirely.

And for US readers:

Onana was being crowded out by Wolves players, however, and not offered much protection by his team-mates. It was a collective as well as individual failure.

And so it will go down as yet another goal conceded from a set-piece – this time, literally. United have now hit double figures on that sorry metric.

What next for United? 

It is now five defeats in seven games in all competitions for Amorim. With that, he has suffered more defeats as manager this season than Erik ten Hag did before his dismissal.

Of course that is not the full picture, there have been plenty of positives along the way, and as Amorim has reiterated, United will have to weather a storm to get where they need to be.

But he has also said he needs results along the way. United are now 14th and the gap to where they want to be widening.

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Amorim after his side went behind (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Amorim’s side are seven points adrift of fifth-place Newcastle United, who visit Old Trafford on Monday. Fourth-place could be 12 points away by tomorrow.

Any vague, distant hope of turning this campaign around and competing for Champions League qualification through the league is dwindling. Meanwhile, problems are multiplying.

The attack lacks balance and fluidity. The defence is incapable of keeping the ball out the net on set-pieces. Amorim has lots to fix.

What next for Manchester United?

Monday, December 30: Newcastle United (home), Premier League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET

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(Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)





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About The Author

Fannie Hogan is a writer and editor who covers lifestyle, books, sports, education, and tech. She's always loved to write—from the time she was a little girl writing stories about talking animals to the day she got her first job as an editor at a lifestyle magazine. Her hobbies include long walks on the beach, running, and taking breaks from work to read a good book.

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