Why Wolves’ knowledge of the system was crucial

You need to go back to the 1979/80 season to find the last time Wolves beat Manchester United twice in a single season. Coincidentally, that season was also the last time Wolves won a major domestic trophy. Goals from Kenny Hibbitt, Andy Gray and John Richards gave Wolves the win in the home fixture in 1979, while on this occasion, Diogo Jota and a Chris Smalling own goal gave Wolves the spoils. In this Premier League tactical analysis, we shall look at how Nuno Espírito Santo’s side came from behind to earn all three points.

Lineups

Before we get into the action, let’s start by looking at the respective starting lineups.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær paid Nuno the biggest compliment possible by matching the Black Country side in terms of formation, opting for the utilisation of wing-backs for the first time in his stint in charge of United. From the side that beat Watford on Saturday, Phil Jones, Nemanja Matić, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were withdrawn. In their place came Diogo Dalot, Fred, Victor Lindelöf, Scott McTominay, Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku.

Following their dismal defeat at Burnley over the weekend, Nuno rang some changes of his own. Ryan Bennett, Rúben Vinagre, Matt Doherty and Raúl Jiménez came in for Adama Traoré, Romain Saïss, Jonny and Ivan Cavaleiro.