FA Cup 2019: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Manchester United - quarter final review
Wolverhampton Wanderers, under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, secured a memorable 2-1 win against Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter final at their home Molineux stadium.
After a recent Premier League defeat to Arsenal, United was looking to bounce back, and potentially win the FA Cup. However, Nuno (who's surname, Espirito Santo, means Holy Spirit in English) and Wolves certainly are having a divine touch to their form.
Their performances against the top six sides have been stellar, and they arguably the best of the rest, as they lie in seventh on the league table. In various games, they've had positive results versus Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, and now Man United.
Wolves have won the league and FA Cup before, although their last trophy was many years ago. 2019, however, could be a memorable season for them, and a potential FA Cup win for them would be grand, especially after just getting the promotion to the Premier League this season.
Manchester United fielded a strong side, but in this game overall were pretty flat. Their recent good form, which came apart at Arsenal, was missing again. Their top players, like Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford didn't really perform. Stand-in goalkeeper Sergio Romero made some good saves, but ultimately couldn't keep out Wolves' two strikes from Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota, which were enough to win the game.
Although Rashford scored a consolation goal in injury time, it was not enough, as Nuno Espirito Santo "out-tacticted" Solskjaer to secure a memorable semi-final appearance.
United was disappointing, but Wolves and Nuno showed they are more than competitive at the top level, With more investment, they can potentially get in the top six, or even top four.
A Europa League place is even possible, due to Chelsea losing to Man City in the League Cup final. This could mean an extra space in the league for the Europa League could be available, if Chelsea win the Europa League .
Solskjaer is facing his first major setback as United interim manager, even though it may not scupper his chances of securing the full-time position.
Either way, it was Wolves' day, and one they will remember for years to come.