Premier League: Raphael Varane late header helps Manchester United secure 1-0 win over dominant Wolves

Defender Raphael Varane’s late header helped Manchester United secure a narrow victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in their Premier League opener at Old Trafford on Monday. Wolves created numerous chances throughout the match, even managing to have 23 shots on goal, the most by a visiting team at Old Trafford since 2005. However, they were unable to convert these opportunities into goals.

In contrast, Manchester United’s performance was less than convincing. Despite this, they managed to secure the win in the 76th minute when Aaron Wan-Bissaka picked out Raphael Varane in the six-yard box. Varane, who had been instrumental in keeping the Wolves at bay, headed the ball into the net, securing a scarcely deserved three points for Manchester United.

The goal came against the run of play and was a result of a well-executed team effort. The corner was only half cleared by the Wolves, allowing Antony to feed the ball infield to Fernandes. Fernandes then flipped a fine pass over the defense to find Wan-Bissaka, who lobbed a good cross over the outrushing Jose Sa, the Wolves’ goalkeeper. Varane got in front of Semedo at the far post to head into an empty net.

United’s new goalkeeper, Andre Onana, clattered into substitute Sasa Kalajdzic, in coming for a cross, but referee Simon Hooper waved play on and VAR agreed, much to the ire of O’Neil, who got a yellow card for his protests.

“Upset is the word,” Cunha told the BBC. “We worked a lot. We need to keep improving. We mixed new ideas and old ideas. I’m a little upset with that result.”

Regarding the late spot kick appeal, the forward added: “It’s a very hard decision. For me, it’s a penalty but you need to respect (the decision).”