Marcus Rashford stepped out into the cold night air, crossed himself and headed out onto the green grass of Molineux. This time last week he was already swimming in Patron tequila. Now it was time to move on.
However, those jokes against Wolves did not deter him so easily.
As Rashford warmed up with his teammates on Thursday evening, the match tune selection started with a cover version of Terrorvision’s Tequila, followed by The Champs’ song of the same name.
Erik ten Hag had at least spared Rashford a demotion to the substitutes’ bench, which was previously his mischievous move here in the West Midlands.
The last time Manchester United were in town, on New Year’s Eve 2022, Rashford was dropped for oversleeping before a team meeting, and he scored the winner. Wolves probably should have known what was going to happen last night.
Kobbie Mainoo was Man United’s match winner with a stunning goal in the 97th minute
Marcus Rashford celebrates putting Man United ahead within the first five minutes
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His crime has been documented in detail over the past week. A boozy night out in Belfast, via the Dirty Onion pub, Lavery’s Bar and Thompsons Garage, followed by a missed training session.
The 26-year-old came into this match with the rather obscure distinction of scoring the most Premier League goals of any player other than Harry Kane on Thursday night, but it was what Rashford did last Thursday that sealed United’s FA Cup win at Newport had overshadowed. on Sundays and would probably always be the main topic of conversation here too.
It took United’s number 10 less than five minutes to change the story as he got the ball rolling in a seven-goal thriller that ended with Kobbie Mainoo grabbing the victory for United in extra time.
Alejandro Garnacho passed Diogo Dalot on the right and Bruno Fernandes dummied his Portuguese compatriot’s low cross. Rasmus Hojlund cocked his marker and thought about shooting before laying the ball back for Rashford.
He knew exactly what to do and coolly curled the ball past Jose Sa from fifteen meters. After that twelve-hour tequila bender, these are the kind of shots that Ten Hag would much rather see Rashford make.
Hojlund’s part in the goal should not be ignored either. It took a long time for their partnership to click, but this was the fifth goal they have shared in the last four league games and a sixth goal was not far behind.
Once again the action started on the right between Dalot and Garnacho, who cut inside and switched play to Rashford on the left. He fed Luke Shaw on the overlap and the defender’s low cross took a touch to Maximilian Kilman and Sa before Hojlund bundled the ball over the line.
This time it was Rashford’s contribution that deserved recognition. “Rashford is on the p***!” sang the jubilant United fans.
Rashford was a constant threat and United looked on course for victory when Rasmus Hojlund (left) doubled the lead in the first half
But Pablo Sarabia gave Wolves hope when he smashed home a penalty in the second half
Scott McTominay restored United’s two-goal lead, but more drama followed
On nights like this he really looks like a great football player. Hungry and full of running. You can understand why people like Alan Shearer have expressed concerns that he could waste his career by taking the wrong path.
Up to that point, Wolves had played their part, but they were increasingly ragged and United could have been out of sight by half-time.
At Hojlund, Casemiro’s goals were disallowed for offside. Casemiro and Fernandes placed their efforts narrowly wide of Sa’s right post.
This was so much better from United, who have stumbled and sputtered this season since a fluke win in the opening match against Wolves at Old Trafford in March, when Andre Onana got away with a late penalty for his wild challenge on Sasa Kalajdzic. .
Onana was back in goal here after a short absence at the Africa Cup of Nations, but Wolves did not test the Cameroonian goalkeeper nearly enough against United, who look considerably more stable after the return of Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro. They were more confident building up from the back and more threatening in attack than for much of this campaign.
Max Kilman made it 3-2 when he fired home after Craig Dawson kept the ball alive from a set-piece
Pedro Neto then drew Wolves level when his deflected effort wrong-footed Andre Onana
If this was not Ten Hag’s strongest line-up, it was close. If he can keep them together for the rest of the season, that eight-point gap between United and the top four doesn’t look so worrying after all.
Martinez underlined his importance just after half-time when Onana came out for a cross but was beaten by Kilman, and the Argentine produced an excellent ball from under his own crossbar. A Wolves goal at that stage could have changed the course of this match against United, who let League Two Newport back into the cup tie on Sunday after going ahead twice.
Onana used his face to keep out Craig Dawson’s effort shortly afterwards as United cracked and Wolves and their supporters felt their way back into the match.
Their chance came in the 71st minute after Pedro Neto went down rather theatrically, claiming he had been caught by Casemiro’s back leg. The Brazilian insisted there was no contact – and replays appeared to support his argument – but referee Jared Gillett pointed to the spot and VAR backed him up. After a long wait, substitute Pablo Sarabia beat Onana with a penalty through the middle.
Mainoo stepped up at the death and produced a brilliant finish from the edge of the box
It was a huge result for Erik ten Hag and his team as they moved up to seventh in the rankings
Ten Hag sent Scott McTominay for Casemiro and Antony for Rashford. Not for the first season, McTominay pulled his manager out of a hole and scored within two minutes with a header from Fernandes’ corner.
It was crucial too as Kilman scored from close range to Dalot and Onana before Neto slotted home an equalizer from a Wolves breakaway in nine minutes of stoppage time.
United weren’t done yet though and when Mainoo got the ball 25 yards from goal, the hugely talented teenager beat two players before curling a stunning shot past Sa for his second goal in a week.
On a night of redemption for Rashford, it took something special to steal the headlines from him, and Mainoo had just done it.