By the end the boos were loud – and many were being hurled in the direction of Ruben Amorim.
When United win matches the norm is for Amorim to head straight down the tunnel and to let his players soak up the adulation from supporters. When they don’t he walks onto the pitch.
So, after this turgid 1-1 that looked a lot worse on United than it did on Wolves, on Amorim went, despondent and looking like a man without answers to the bombardment of questions that would be coming his way.
United are without eight senior players right now – at least five of those would say they are nailed on starters each week – and that is the convenient caveat to underscore results such as this one.
But that doesn’t fool anyone, not least the Manchester United fans.
Wolves are a historically bad Premier League side who left Old Trafford with a higher Expected Goals (xG), more touches in the opposition box, more distance covered, while United’s players clocked in walking 35.69 per cent of the time, compared to Wolves’ 33.07 per cent.
Ruben Amorim was booed off after rock-bottom Wolves drew 1-1 to Man United at Old Trafford
SWITCHING FORMATIONS CONFUSES EVERYONE
When United warmed up in the shape of a back five there was an air of wink wink, hush hush, that this was all part of the ruse that bamboozled Newcastle on Boxing Day.
And so few paid much attention to the warm-up. They’d play a back four. They did last time and Patrick Dorgu scored when playing as a winger. Course they’ll play a back four.
Then the warm-up went on, still in a back five. A pretty long attempt at kidology against, to repeat, a team on pace to be the worst Premier League side ever.
But then it started. Back five. Immediately this makeshift United side looked disjointed.
‘This isn’t right again,’ Gary Neville, on commentary for Sky, said within 10 minutes of the start.
‘I’ve watched enough of Man United recently to know what is right and what isn’t. I am really surprised. All of it just isn’t as good as it was in the last few games when the players played in different positions.
‘They might get away with it and get a win, but it’s not the right system to watch.’
On the touchline Amorim was frantic, more frantic than usual. He scalded both Manuel Ugarte and Lisandro Martinez for erroneous long balls over the top to Sesko, while he was also screaming his lungs out trying to get others such as Jack Fletcher and Matheus Cunha to take up specific positions as this borefest wore on.
In the stands the anxiety was back to the levels it was in recent months when everything looked to be falling to even greater lows.
Patrick Dorgu shone in the win over Newcastle but was restricted vs Wolves due to tactics
‘Attack, attack, attack,’ came the chant from the Stretford End. What they got was a finish from a side that really didn’t know what positions they were playing in.
For large spells this was reminiscent of the very early days in the Amorim era, where he would stand on the edge of his technical area trying to play chess with players by moving them around the pitch.
‘We struggled for the whole game,’ Amorim admitted here.
‘We had a lack of creativity but we knew that it would be a different game compared to Newcastle.
‘We had a different energy during the game also. If you look at the game, we had our chances, but the fluidity wasn’t there because there is a lack of connections.’
There is merit in maintaining a sense of mystery around the system he could go to with every passing week, provided the systems work.
If they don’t, and you get what was served up here versus Wolves, everyone ends up confused, not least United’s players.
FAKE FRONT-RUNNERS
Fulham. Nottingham Forest. Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham. AFC Bournemouth. Wolves. All games in which United took the lead and didn’t go on to win the game.
They did not lose any of those games, drawing all six, but United have a game management problem that has strayed long away from being a coincidence or sheer misfortune.
They dominated at Fulham without making it count. Were the better team for 45 minutes away to Nottingham Forest. Found themselves all over Spurs only to not get the second goal to kill the game off. Bournemouth was pure chaos and Wolves was another one that got away.
‘We talked about that [anxiety in the home crowd] at half-time,’ Rob Edwards explained.
‘We said “listen, we know how difficult it is to play in front of a crowd,” everyone would be turning up expecting a win, maybe a comfortable one and it wasn’t that.’
The manner of the draw is frustrating as once again United failed to hold on to lead in a game
That admission, which came with a wry smile, just underlined how opponents not only think but know this United side will serve up a draw at every opportunity.
‘I feel really disappointed,’ Lisandro Martinez, who was far from the worst player in a United shirt on Tuesday, said.
‘We can’t come here at home and draw this game. We have to win.
‘At home, the opponent has to suffer. I am very frustrated we didn’t get the three points. Us at the back needs to give more security to the team. I accept that, it is our responsibility.’
It is everyone’s responsibility and that’s the problem. Not enough players are taking accountability and opponents know United will always give them a chance.
Failure to fix that and United will continue to go around in circles.
STRUGGLING SESKO
Benjamin Sesko does a lot of positive things on the pitch and he’s shown it often in a United shirt – but he needs to score a lot more than he is. The problem is he doesn’t look like he’ll score right now.
When all was said and done here Sesko was left to rue hitting the post in the first half and then missing some gilt-edged chances in the second when attacking the Stretford End.
He departed having managed the least touches (35) of any outfield player to play 90 minutes and was guilty of missing two big chances.
It’s a different proposition playing in attack when you aren’t flanked by Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and backed up by Bruno Fernandes, yes.
But £73million was splurged on Sesko because United firmly believed he was more of a sure-fire bet in front of goal than Rasmus Hojlund was going to be this season.
Games against Wolves, Leeds United, Burnley and then Brighton in the FA Cup have to deliver goals to stop Sesko spiralling.
Wolves was strike one… now it’s onto Elland Road to get what would be just a third league goal.
Benjamin Sesko (centre) has scored just two United Premier League goals after another blank
WOLVES SHOULDN’T FINISH AS WORST EVER
Three points heading into the new year is appallingly bad and this was only Wolves’ fourth goal scored away from home in the league this season.
United aren’t exactly a great measuring stick, either, but there is a spirit that Wolves showed not just here but at the Emirates against Arsenal, and at Anfield against Liverpool, that suggests the handful of wins they would need to avoid the infamy of being the Premier League’s worst ever side isn’t as far fetched as some may think.
‘We have got half a season to make sure it is not the case,’ Edwards said.
‘There will be a lot of noise around that but points wise right now it will be justified. We are better than three points but the reality is that it is what we are on.’
A lot could hinge on January – Edwards made no promises about keeping Jorgen Strand Larsen when pushed on that potential move by Daily Mail Sport – both ins and outs.
Eight more points and they match Derby County from 2007-08. Three wins and they are out of the history books.
Wolves are going down but that alone should be all the motivation this group needs.
