Rashford scores early and Mainoo grabs late winner in Man United's wild 4-3 win at Wolves

Thu, Feb 1, 2024
Soccer News (AP)

WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP) - Marcus Rashford scored an early goal on his return after a disciplinary issue and Kobbie Mainoo grabbed a winner in the seventh minute of stoppage time for Manchester United in a wild 4-3 win at Wolverhampton in the Premier League on Thursday.

United manager Erik ten Hag recalled Rashford to the starting lineup at Molineux after the England forward was left out of the FA Cup win at Newport on Sunday, with the club saying he was too ill to take part. Rashford was reportedly seen in a Belfast night spot on Thursday and missed training the following day.

He repaid the faith of his manager by giving United the lead against Wolves with a curling strike into the far corner from the edge of the area in the fifth minute.

Rashford was off the field after being substituted for the dramatic finale to the match, which saw Wolves score in the 85th minute through Max Kilman and again in the fifth minute of stoppage time through Pedro Neto to fight back from 3-1 to 3-3.

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There was still time for Mainoo, an 18-year-old defensive midfielder with a bright future, to dance through a number of challenges and curl a brilliant low shot into the far corner from outside the area for his first Premier League goal.

United moved up to seventh place after a performance that began encouragingly with a strong first-half display and finished frantically as the visitors struggled to keep out Wolves.

United twice held a two-goal lead, firstly after Rasmus Hojlund bundled in a scrappy goal in the 23rd to make it 2-0 and then - after Wolves had reduced the deficit in the 71st through Pablo Sarabia's penalty - when Scott McTominay headed home at a corner moments after coming on as a substitute.

In the end, it was Mainoo who was the unlikely match-winner, with the quality of his finish bolstering his reputation as a potential long-term presence in United's midfield.

"It is a dream come true," Mainoo said. "To start playing in the Premier League for my boyhood club has been amazing. Now it's about trying to win more games."

Ten Hag hailed a "massive" win but said his team was "naive the way we conceded goals."

"We should take more responsibility on the pitch and manage it," he said.

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