Marcus Rashford went from villain to hero after coming off the bench to score the game-winning goal against Wolves, propelling Manchester United into the top four of the Premier League.
For “internal disciplinary” reasons, manager Erik ten Hag left Rashford out of his starting lineup.
After a disappointing first half in which Rashford’s replacement Alejandro Garnacho wasted the visitors’ best chance when Jose Sa saved his shot, the England man scored 14 minutes from time.
Rashford picked up the ball outside the Wolves area, then held off three defenders before driving home his 11th goal of the season in all competitions.
It was his first three-game scoring streak for United since December of 2019.
The result ended Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui’s two-match winning streak and kept them in the relegation zone.
However, they came so close to stealing a point in stoppage time when Raul Jimenez’s goal-bound header was turned away by David de Gea at point-blank range.
Matheus Cunha’s loan arrival for Wednesday’s West Midlands derby at Aston Villa cannot come soon enough for a team that struggles to convert impressive approach play into goals.