WOLVERHAMPTON: Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford scored the opening goal and Kobbie Mainoo netted a superb late winner as they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-3 in a thrilling Premier League game at Molineux on Thursday.

Left out of United’s 4-2 Cup win over Newport County on Sunday by manager Erik ten Hag, Rashford rattled home the opening goal after five minutes against Wolves and helped Luke Shaw tee up Rasmus Hojlund for the second in the 22nd minute.

United should have had a hatful of goals in a dominant first-half display, and Hojlund and Casmeiro had efforts ruled out for offside, but the game roared into life midway through the second half when the home side were awarded a penalty.

Video replays showed there was little contact as Pedro Neto went down under a challenge from Casemiro, who had been booked in the third minute, but after a VAR review the decision to award the spot kick was confirmed and substitute Pablo Sarabia stepped up to score in the 71st minute.

Scott McTominay struck shortly after coming off the bench to restore the visitors’ two-goal cushion in the 75th minute but the home side weren’t done and when Max Kilman reduced the deficit in the 85th minute, it set the scene for a thrilling climax.

Neto levelled in stoppage time with a superb effort, but Mainoo topped that by curling the ball into the net in the 97th minute to snatch a win that moved United up to seventh in the table on 35 points. Wolves are 11th on 29.

“It is a dream come true,” Mainoo told broadcaster TNT after netting his first Premier League goal.

“It is a tough place to come. We had to get the win. I have still not come down from it, I still feel like I’m dreaming, to be honest. To start playing in the Premier League for my boyhood club has been amazing. Now it’s about trying to win more games.“A relieved Erik ten Hag called it a “massive” win for his side.

“I think we played very good and we dictated the game for an hour. We should have gone up 3-0 or 4-0. We didn’t and in the end it’s quite naive, the way we concede the goals,” he said. “It shouldn’t happen, but then we showed great resilience, especially Kobbie Mainoo, it was a great goal,” the Dutchman added.

In the night’s other match, West Ham United were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth.

Kelvin Phillips — making his first appearance since joining from Manchester City — made a mistake in the third minute of the match when he played a short backpass and Dominic Solanke pounced on it to slot in his 15th goal of the season.

Alphonse Areola kept the Hammers in the game with a brilliant save to deny Antoine Semenyo a second.

West Ham draw level in the 61st minute when winger Mohammed Kudus, on his return from the Africa Cup of Nations, was hauled down inside the area by Lloyd Kelly and James Ward-Prowse converted from the penalty spot.

West Ham remain in sixth, seven points adrift of the top four, and now just one clear of United.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2024