By Angus Barnes
As a flurry of Manchester United supporters started to vacate their golden seats at Molineux, their golden boy forced them to come running back. With 97 minutes on the clock, Kobbie Mainoo could not have selected a better moment to score his first-ever Premier League goal. Pedro Neto's 95th-minute equaliser had, it seemed, earned Wolves a point, denying United a win that would have been fully merited.
Full of praise, Kobbie Mainoo begins to exploit his full potential with United
But as United's supporters prepared to criticise those all too familiar failings, such as wasted opportunities and their soft underbelly, Mainoo changed the mindset with a moment of individual brilliance. After dodging two challenges, he entered the penalty area, bent a right-footed effort towards the far corner and sent the away end barmy.
United, to their credit, had produced some of the best football they had played all season, particularly in the first half. They looked menacing every time they went forward, with full-backs Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw providing forward runs to support Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.
Rasmus Hojlund, who netted the second goal as a result of one of Shaw's darts to the byline, was everywhere, chasing every ball and providing a focal point at the top end of the pitch for United to aim at. His combination play with Rashford and Garnacho, as well as Bruno Fernandes, suggests Ten Hag, just as he did against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, has discovered his best trio in attack to unleash United's potential.
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There was an identity to United's play at Molineux and it translated into scoring four goals in a Premier League game for the first time since May, and the first time in a Premier League away game in two years. Their attack, particularly in the first half, looked menacing, with Rashford hungry to prove a point after last week's off-field events, Hojlund producing a polished performance and Garnacho once again highlighting why he is a better fit on the right wing than Antony. If United's performance at Molineux was a sign that everything is about to click into place, they need to prove it. West Ham United are up next and the Reds cannot afford to take their foot off the pedal after such a morale-boosting victory.
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