Manchester United on track for top 4 with win over Wolverhampton Wanderers

LONDON – Manchester United kept their Premier League top-four hopes alive on Saturday as they bounced back from two straight defeats by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at Old Trafford.

The result left Erik ten Hag’s men in fourth place and level on 66 points with Newcastle United, who drew 2-2 at Leeds United and are third on goal difference.

Ten Hag said: “Vital (win). We had to bounce back after defeats and individual mistakes. We had no energy. Today we had to win and we did it. We need better conversion, definitely, (because) we are very good in making the (opposition) goalkeeper the man of the match.

“We have to match the highest standards and winning games. But I heard United don’t do it the easy way, that is in the DNA.”

United started the match brightly, with Antony missing a good opportunity to break the deadlock around the half-hour mark when he headed just over the Wolves goal from close range.

However, it was not long after in the 32nd minute that he collected a through pass from Bruno Fernandes, before slotting another pass across the box for Anthony Martial to tap home.

The Red Devils kept on the attack after the break but it was only deep in stoppage time that Alejandro Garnacho, who was just back from injury, scored in a one-on-one situation from a brilliant pass by Fernandes.

That goal eased the pressure as United hung on to clinch all three points, following a second half in which there were nervy moments but also chances where they were not clinical enough to convert.

The victory was much needed following a pair of 1-0 losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United, which threatened to derail United’s season and their hopes of playing in the Champions League next term.

With three games left, the Red Devils are four points ahead of rivals Liverpool, who travel to Leicester City on Monday.

In the earlier kick-off, defender Rasmus Kristensen scored a second-half equaliser to give Leeds a share of the points in a thrilling home draw with Newcastle that saw them miss one penalty, concede two more and have a man sent off in stoppage time.

Sam Allardyce’s men are still in the relegation zone but move up one spot to 18th on 31 points.

Leeds took the lead in the seventh minute as captain Luke Ayling fired home a rebound, and could have gone two up in the 28th minute but Patrick Bamford’s spot kick was saved by Nick Pope.

Three minutes later, Newcastle levelled from a penalty of their own, scored by Callum Wilson, and the Magpies were awarded a second penalty in the second half which Wilson blasted straight down the middle for his second goal.

The drama was not over, however, and when Newcastle failed to clear a corner in the 79th minute, Kristensen popped up on the edge of the area to hammer home a deflected equaliser and reignite the home crowd’s hopes of top-flight survival. Junior Firpo was then sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card.

“I’m struggling to make sense of it all,” said Newcastle boss Eddie Howe on BT Sport.

“We could have been 2-0 down... then at 2-1 up, we were hoping to win it. A lot of emotions, we played well at times without hitting our best form. But the character to come here and come back, we look at that as a positive.

“We were under no illusions about how hard this was going to be, being in front makes it a little hard to take, but we move on to the next match.”

Meanwhile, Southampton have been relegated from the Premier League following a 2-0 home loss to Fulham. REUTERS