Manchester United suffered their third consecutive defeat as they lost 2-0 to Wolves in a disappointing boxing day encounter.
Two needless yellow cards forced Bruno Fernandes off the pitch, leaving United to play a man down in the second half.
United woes from set-pieces hit a new low as Andre Onana conceded directly from a corner kick.
Matheus Cunha’s inswinging delivery flew into the far corner while Onana failed to react, seemingly hindered by pressure from Wolves players around him.
The Red Devils stayed in the game even after going 1-0 down but they lacked the spark in the final third to mount a comeback.
While Fernandes and Onana were horrendous, Rasmus Hojlund delivered a shocking performance.
He received 3/10 in our post-match ratings.
Hojlund had just 14 touches of the ball and completed only five passes during his 79-minute stint.
He showed more frustration on the pitch than accuracy in his passing.
Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo were the primary targets of his discontent.
Mainoo had two opportunities to play him through but the midfielder overhit both passes.
Diallo had the option to thread a simple pass to Hojlund, who was in a prime position to shoot.
Instead, the winger opted for glory himself, only to have his shot blocked by Wolves’ resolute defenders.
Hojlund ended the game without taking a single shot at Jose Sa.
He lost the ball possession seven times and won only three of his 12 duels.
He also attempted a dribble but failed to get past his opponent.
The £50 million-rated star has had a challenging league season, scoring only twice in 13 games.
He has fared a lot better in Europa League but United want him to thrive in the top flight.
Joshua Zirkzee is not good enough to score double digit goals in the league and the burden is on Hojlund to deliver.
Manager Ruben Amorim has to find a way to get Hojlund more involved in games.
He also has to improve physically to compete with tough defenders in England.
As Samuel Luckhurst pointed out, the striker was “far too easily bullied”.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & sofascore.com
Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .
