Wolves guaranteed their Premier League safety with a gritty 1-0 victory over a lackluster Manchester United at Old Trafford, courtesy of a moment of brilliance from Pablo Sarabia. The substitute had been on the pitch for just over three minutes when he stepped up to curl a sublime free-kick over the wall and past a fully-stretched Andre Onana, sealing a fifth consecutive win for Vitor Pereira’s revitalized side.
It was a strike of real class—something sorely missing from United’s attacking efforts. Despite some promising build-up play, the hosts failed to capitalize, with Rasmus Hojlund, Bruno Fernandes, and Mason Mount all squandering opportunities crafted by the lively Alejandro Garnacho. At the other end, Wolves showed the kind of clinical edge that made the difference.
Pereira’s impact since taking over in mid-December, with the team languishing in 19th and five points adrift of safety, has been impressive. Under his guidance, Wolves have clawed their way up the table with resilience and growing confidence, and Sarabia’s winner served as a fitting reward for their upward momentum.
Manchester United, on the other hand, looked flat—perhaps unsurprisingly, given the heavy rotation from Ruben Amorim following their dramatic Europa League quarter-final extra-time triumph over Lyon just days earlier. However, the subdued performance and lack of attacking spark left the home fans disappointed, especially with so much still to play for this season.
Wolves were forced into a late change in goal after Jose Sa picked up an injury in the warm-up, but stand-in Dan Bentley had little to do—he wasn’t called into serious action until the 34th minute and faced only one more shot on target thereafter. United’s attacking inefficiency summed up a frustrating afternoon.
This result marks United’s 15th league defeat of the campaign and leaves them level on 38 points with Wolves after 33 matches, sitting in 14th. While their focus now clearly shifts to the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Club, this kind of performance won’t be enough if they hope to progress to the final and salvage their season.
