Baran’s winning goal – Oh Nana’s save show saves Man Utd in the PL opening game
Defender Raphael Varane and goalkeeper Andre Onana were responsible for Manchester United’s victory in a difficult flow.
Manchester United won 1-0 against Wolverhampton in the 2023-24 English Premier League Round 1 home opener held at Old Trafford in Manchester, England at 4:00 am (Korean time) on the 15th.
Baran’s golden header, the winning goal… Leading Man United’s victory
On this day, Man United operated a 4-2-3-1 formation. The front line was Marcus Rashford, and the second line was Alejandro Garnacho-Bruno Fernandez-Antoni. The back consisted of Mason Mount-Kazemiro, and the defense consisted of Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Baran, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and the goal was freshman Andre Onana.
In Wolverhampton’s 4-4-2, Matheus Cunha-Pablo Sarabia was placed in the front, Matheus Nunes-Mario Lumina-Joao Gomes-Pedro Neto were deployed in the midfield. The back four was Rayan Ait Nouri, Craig Dawson, Maximilian Kilman, Nelsong Semedo, and the goalkeeper’s gloves were José Saga.
Man Utd made Wolverhampton’s rear build-up clunky with strong forward pressure from the opponent’s camp, which was the main tactic of manager Turn Hagh.
But Wolverhampton wasn’t easy either. He threatened Manchester United with organized pressure and quick counterattacks. In the 26th minute of the first half, Kunya put in a killer pass following a breakthrough, and Sarabia’s shot went slightly off the goal. In the 33rd minute, Sarabia’s pass and Kunya’s shot created a chance.
United launched an attack centered on Rashford, and a decisive header hit Semedo’s arm, but no penalty was called.
Wolverhampton showed off more shooting production and propaganda in the middle of the day. The 4 minute scene in the second half was the most disappointing. Sarabia’s cross was thrown back by Netu. Then, Kunya’s shot ricocheted off the crossbar. In the 10th minute of the second half, Kunya dug in from the half line to the penalty arc and attempted a direct shot, but Onana goalkeeper saved.
Wolverhampton sought a turnaround by replacing Sarabia with Hwang Hee-chan in the 17th minute of the second half as the first replacement card. As soon as Hwang Hee-chan came in, he helped Netu shoot with a cutback, but it ended up in front of the goalkeeper. In the 21st minute of the second half, Hwang Hee-chan’s shot from the left to the center missed the goal.
However, it was Man United that changed the trend that had been driven to the defensive. In the 31st minute of the second half, Baran’s header, following Wan-Bissaka’s cross, broke the tension.
Wolverhampton went on a wave offensive, but in the 38th and 39th minutes of the second half, Fabio Silva’s consecutive shots were blocked by Onana goalkeeper, and he tasted frustration. Man Utd started defending by introducing central midfielder McTominay instead of Rashford. On the other hand, Wolverhampton increased the number of strikers by injecting Khalijichi.
In the second half of extra time, Hwang Hee-chan tried to open the United goal with two shots. Still, there was no income. In the end, Manchester United kept their one-goal lead to the end and won 3 points.
Successful debut that made new recruit Nana Oh forget about De Gea
Manchester United had a relatively successful year last season under manager Turn Hag, winning the Carabao Cup, finishing runners-up in the FA Cup and finishing third in the Premier League. Coach Turn Hagh’s tactics have been stably rooted, and this summer, Manchester United raised expectations for the 2023-24 season to the fullest by recruiting players in the right places such as Mount, Hoilun, and Onana.
However, the performance shown in the opening game against Wolverhampton was not so good. He failed to effectively take advantage in the midfield fight, allowing the opponent a whopping 23 shots.
Nevertheless, Man Utd blocked it with a scoreless goal, but the dazzling show of goalkeepers Baran and Onana, who led the defensive line, was decisive. After 1 interception, 5 kicks, 2 header clears and 5 recoveries, Baran paid for his name with the winning goal in the 31st minute of the second half.
Onana, who made his debut in a Manchester United uniform, recorded 6 saves and 8 recoveries. In particular, in the build-up situation, Onana’s accurate kick handling was enough to make David de Gea, who kept the goal until last season, forgotten.메이저놀이터
Manchester United’s real test stage is the away game against Tottenham on the 20th. Tottenham has transformed into an attack-oriented tactic after taking over as manager Enze Postecoglu. The main challenge is how Man United’s defense defends.