Manchester United were five minutes and extra time away from making a true statement of intent on Boxing Day. Sitting in third place, and leading Leicester City, the team directly above them in the table, at their ground, in the final minutes of regulation, United had a golden opportunity to go second.
That’s when Axel Tuanzebe conceded an own goal that equalized the score, and the final result was a 2-2 draw that essentially amounted to two points left behind at the King Power Stadium.
Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers FYIs
Kickoff: 8pm Tue. Dec. 29, Old Trafford
United Starting XI Prediction: go here
TV/Stream: NBCSN (US), NBCSports.com
Table Position: Wolves 11th, 21 points United 4th, 27 points
Premier League Form Guide: Wolves DLWLL United DWWDW
With table topping Liverpool also dropping points on the weekend, against relegation fodder West Bromwich Albion no less, a tremendous chance was there to close the gap.
It was an opportunity blown, but there is no time to ruminate on that now, as a Tuesday night showdown with Wolverhampton Wanderers approaches.
Team News for Both Sides
Starting with Wolves, they will continue to be sans star striker Raul Jimenez, who is recovering from surgery to repair his fractured skull. In addition to this long term injury absentee, Leander Dendoncker is also likely to miss out, as he suffered an injury in the win over Chelsea, and it was serious enough to keep him out of the draw with Tottenham tonight.
Flipping over to United, Aaron Wan-Bissaka missed the draw against Leicester City, due to a groin injury, so he is a doubt, to say the least, in this one. Defenders Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones remain out injured long term.
United 1, Wolves 1
This is a match that United really should win, given the disparity in talent on the pitch, but those of you reading this are most likely aware of 1.) their recent struggles against this specific side and 2.) how their home form just doesn’t come close to matching their away form in 20/21.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.