The floodlights pierced through the Wolverhampton evening as Molineux Stadium braced for what many expected to be a desperate battle for survival. Instead, the home faithful witnessed a masterclass in clinical finishing as Manchester United, sitting seventh, dismantled bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-4 in a performance that highlighted the gulf between the two sides.
Bruno Fernandes orchestrated the demolition with ruthless precision, opening the scoring in the 25th minute when he rifled home from the centre of the box after being perfectly set up by Matheus Cunha. The Portuguese maestro's right-footed strike nestled into the bottom right corner, silencing the home crowd and setting the tone for United's dominance. Wolves briefly flickered back to life when Jean-Ricner Bellegarde swept home from close range in the 45th minute, David Møller Wolfe providing the assist to send the teams into halftime with hope still alive for the hosts.
That hope evaporated spectacularly after the break as United unleashed a devastating counter-attacking display. Bryan Mbeumo struck the killer blow in the 51st minute, finishing clinically from the centre of the box after Diogo Dalot had carved open the Wolves defence on a lightning-fast break. Mason Mount then twisted the knife further in the 62nd minute, converting Bruno Fernandes' exquisite through ball with a composed right-footed finish that left Sam Johnstone helpless. The coup de grâce arrived in the 82nd minute when Fernandes stepped up to convert a penalty with ice-cold composure, sending his spot-kick into the bottom left corner after Yerson Mosquera's handball.
United's tactical superiority manifested in their commanding 63.6% possession and clinical edge in front of goal, converting four of their ten shots on target while Wolves managed just two efforts on goal from their 36.4% share of the ball. Casemiro and Fernandes controlled the midfield battle with authority, while Amad Diallo tormented the Wolves defence down the flanks throughout the encounter.
The turning point crystallized in those devastating six minutes after halftime when Mbeumo's counter-attacking strike transformed United's slender lead into an insurmountable advantage. Wolves' defensive fragility was ruthlessly exposed as they struggled to cope with United's pace and movement in transition, their relegation fears intensifying with each clinical finish.
The final whistle brought relief for the travelling United supporters but deepened the gloom around Molineux, where the home faithful endured a sobering reminder of their team's precarious position. Manchester United will look to maintain this momentum when they host OL Lyonnais on December 10th, while Wolverhampton Wanderers face an increasingly desperate battle to climb away from the Premier League's basement, their next fixture representing another crucial opportunity to arrest their alarming slide down the table.