It was asking too much of Manchester United to return to Old Trafford and achieve anything approaching the same heights three days after their incredible Europa League comeback against Lyon.

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Ruben Amorim’s team was brought back to earth with a bump after a somewhat tiresome match against Wolves in the April sunshine was settled by a goal of far higher quality from substitute Pablo Sarabia than this game warranted.

In a season where they are already destined to finish with the fewest points in the league, United’s 15th Premier League loss of the year is the latest humiliation for the team. At least there is some hope for the future in Europe.

The statistics are much more favorable for Wolves. With their fifth consecutive victory, the team tied their rivals on 38 points and achieved their first league double against United since the 1979–80 campaign. Vitor Pereira is performing admirably at Molineux.

Overall, though, it was a tad lackluster following the dramatic 5–4 loss to Lyon. boredom following the chaos.

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Before kickoff and halftime, some supporters in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand demonstrated against the increase in ticket prices and the plans to move some of them from this area of the stadium next season to create a VIP dugout club by holding up signs and messages in front of United executives.

Amorim made five changes to the team that played against Lyon for 120 minutes, putting their supporters through a lot.

It involved giving Harry Amass his first Old Trafford start and Tyler Fredricson, a 20-year-old defender, his debut. The starting lineup included Victor Lindelof and Noussair Mazraoui, who both departed the field at halftime on Thursday for private reasons.

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For the first time in six games, Pereira made changes to his starting lineup, recalling Matheus Cunha, who will get a lot of interest from clubs this summer, including United, and replacing Matt Doherty at the defense with Santiago Bueno.

Given that Wolves had won the previous four games and were undefeated throughout that run, it was not surprising that Pereira had stuck with the same lineup for the previous five games.

However, with a game that felt very much like the end of the season, the stakes could have been much higher.

Just after the interval, Christian Eriksen’s 25-yard free kick was pushed over the bar by Jose Sa after Mazraoui’s deft move was met with a rough foul by Emmanuel Agbadou. It was the only shot on goal from either team in a dull first half.

The better opportunities were created by United. Just before halftime, Alejandro Garnacho put Kobbie Mainoo in a favorable position on the edge of the box after Patrick Dorgu’s cross to the far post drew a touch from one of his teammates but bounced harmlessly wide.

The method was identical to Mainoo’s goal against Lyon on Thursday, except it was a little farther out. He cut inside onto his right foot and attempted to curl the ball inside the far post. But this time it missed the mark by a slim margin.

Amass, who made his third appearance in a week, was one of United’s more notable players and appears more at ease with every game. Additionally, Fredricson performed admirably in keeping Jordan Strand Larsen under wraps.

Before the half, Cunha made a few good spins on the Wolves’ left, but the visitors didn’t produce much to worry Andre Onana.

When he nutmegged Agbadou and bore in on goal, Rasmus Hojlund, who had only scored one goal in 28 hours and 18 minutes of play going into this match, had a brief chance to take the lead, but Toti was covering and made a fantastic tackle to keep him at bay.

A stray back-pass nearly caught Sa, and Nelson Semedo then provided one of the better chances on goal, despite the fact that it was his own goal.

Wolves had obviously improved since the first half, though, and they came very close in the 58th minute when Strand Larsen and Lindelof challenged at a corner. The ball flew too near the far post after bouncing off the United defender’s shoulder.

Amorim replied by substituting Manuel Ugarte, Dorgu, and Mainoo with Bruno Fernandes (who started a league game on the bench for the first time since January 2022), Diogo Dalot, and Mason Mount.

When Fernandes and Eriksen worked together, Garnacho crossed to the far post, where a lunging Hojlund almost missed. It nearly paid off. Amorim made another move by bringing on Chido Obi to bring three youth team players to the field, and it was the Dane’s final contribution.

Fernandes missed a shot when Garnacho retreated, and then Pereira substituted Sarabia and Rodrigo Gomes for Semedo and Strand Larsen.