Ben Fisher’s report has landed, so I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for your company and emails. Happy new year!

The hustle never ends

Luke Shaw’s verdict

It’s always a tough game when we come here. They’re a really good side. We had a poor first half – the manager told us that – but I think we showed great resilience. When you’ve got a player like Marcus Rashford to come on, you know there’s a goal there. He’s in a really good place at the moment: confident, positive, happy. It’s nice to see it. He’s world-class, and if he keeps going he can be one of the best in the world.

I’m really enjoying [playing centre-back]. It always helps with someone like Varane next to you – he spoke to me a lot, not just during the game but before – and I’ve really enjoyed it. The most important thing was winning and keeping another clean sheet.

[On ten Hag’s discipline] At a top club it has to be like that. People can’t do whatever they want. Maybe that’s been part of the problem in the past. If you’re not keeping the standards high, you won’t play.

It’s a massive win for us, especially after a poor first half.

Manchester United move into the top four for the first time since mid-March with a hard-fought win at Molineux. Marcus Rashford, who was dropped for unspecified disciplinary reasons, came off the bench to score an excellent winning goal full of personality and desire. He had another ruled out by VAR for handball and looked what he is – a very good footballer in career-best form.

Wolves did plenty right, and it will be a surprise if they don’t start to clamber out of trouble. Julen Lopetegui, having spent the afternoon giving the fourth official a mouthful, is now having a go at the referee Robert Jones. I’m not sure he’s got a case really, and he might just be trying to create a siege mentality for future home games.

90+4 min: Big save by de Gea! Ait-Nouri’s outswinging corner from the left is met emphatically by Jimenez at the near post – but his flicked header is straight at de Gea, who beats it away.

90+3 min One corner begets another after a good tackle from Wan-Bissaka on Ait-Nouri…

90+3 min Jonny’s superb inswinging cross is met by Jimenez, whose header hits Varane and goes behind for a corner. United bring on Anthony Elanga and Harry Maguire for Antony and Bruno Fernandes.

90+1 min “Rob happy new year, but sorry the way you’re writing it makes it seem like Rashford Maradonaed the ball in,” says Thomas Burgermeister. “His hand was against his body stuck to his stomach. Where is it supposed to be? Doesn’t count against you when you’re defending, so why is it different when you’re attacking? It’s a poor rule.”

It might be a poor rule, but it’s a clear rule; that’s all I was saying. There’s no cause for complaint by ten Hag.

90 min Five minutes of added time.

90 min United break four on two, with van de Beek on the ball. He gives it to Fernandes, whose rising drive from the edge of the D is comfortably saved by Sa. United didn’t quite make the most of that.

89 min “How disappointing is Martial?” says Steve Ditchburn. “Seems almost to be not interested! Awful header when he should have scored and general disinterest. He needs to go.”

And yet, at the start of the season, he was tremendous when he was fit.

88 min Rashford’s eventful day continues with a yellow card for kicking the ball away.

87 min “This is a cruel sport,” says Jeff Sachs. “Nothing ginger about that goal... Hope Nunez watching.”

Actually, with the ricochets and force of personality, I’d say it was a Nunez kind of goal. Both of them in fact.

86 min Erik ten Hag is giving the fourth official a mouthful. Not sure why: the handball law is pretty clear.

Hang on, it might be disallowed for handball.

82 min “The internet informs me that ‘gingerly’ derives from ‘gensor’ in Old French, which meant ‘delicate’,” says Joe Pearson. “So you’re in the clear.”

Until next year at least.

81 min: United substitution Donny van de Beek replaces Anthony Martial, who wasn’t at his best today.

81 min: Wolves substitition Raul Jimenez replaces Daniel Podence. Just before that, Neves played a superb pass to Ait-Nouri, who was crucially tackled by Antony.

79 min There was a bit of luck with the goal, as the ball ricocheted perfectly for Rashford, but to some extent he made his own luck with the sudden explosion from the left. And he certainly took advantage of it by finishing emphatically. He’s scored a few of those get-out-of-my-way goals this season, a reflection of his more dominant mindset.

78 min One way or another, Rashford was going to make headlines after being dropped for disciplinary reasons.

Marcus Rashford has done it again! He surged infield from the left, full of intent, and played a nice one-two with Fernandes on the edge of the area. The ball was slightly behind Rashford, so he flipped it cleverly over Collins, then took advantage of a lucky ricochet to hold off Jonny and rattled a close-range shot through Jose Sa.

75 min United started the second half really well but they’ve lost their way and don’t really look like scoring at the moment.

74 min Yes Wolves have switched to 5-2-3, with Neves and Nunes in midfield.

73 min Neves smashes the free-kick, awarded for Fred’s foul on Collins, into the wall.

72 min Double substitution for Wolves Toti and Rayan Ait-Nouri replace Joao Moutinho and Hugo Bueno, so Matheus Nunes must be okay to continue. I think that means a switch to a back three/five.

72 min Collins nicks the ball off Martial near the halfway line and goes on a typical, barnstorming run forward. Fred brings him down and is booked.

71 min Toti and Rayan Ait-Nouri were about to come on for Wolves but the substitution has been delayed while they decide what to do about Nunes.

71 min Nunes is on his feet but moving gingerly. Is that racist?

69 min Nunes is down after being caught from behind, I think on the achilles, by Fred. It’s been a stop-start second half.

67 min Casemiro blooters a volley well wide from 25 yards.

65 min: Wolves substitution That was Semedo’s last touch: he’s replaced by Jonny.

64 min A wicked inswinging cross from Fernandes is headed behind by the stretching Collins, an excellent bit of defending. United take the corner short to Antony, whose brilliant driven cross towards Shaw is headed off Shaw and behind by Semedo. That was vital defending.

61 min: Man Utd substitution Fred replaces Christian Eriksen in midfield.

60 min Bruno Fernandes drags wide from eight yards, though everyone knew he was offside from Casemiro’s pass.

58 min: Good save from de Gea! Neves curls a superb free-kick that is well saved by de Gea, flying to his left to push it away with both hands. That was such a lovely strike from Neves, hit with power and accuracy from a long way out.

57 min Casemiro, who might have been booked in the first half, does get a yellow card for fouling Podence 30 yards from goal.

56 min Fernandes’s free-kick is hilariously bad, launched straight into the top tier.

55 min This is a good spell for United, and Fernandes has just been fouled 25 yards from goal by Moutinho. The free-kick is slightly to the right of centre…

53 min: Good save by Sa! After some snappy passing in a tight area from United, Fernandes’s first-time shot deflects towards Antony on the right-side of the six-yard box. Sa is out very quickly to block his shot.

52 min Fernandes plays the ball out to Antony on the right. He zips infield and hits a shot from the edge of the area that is well blocked by Collins. Antony appeals for a penalty, but though the ball did hit Collins’ arm, it was down by his side.

51 min And now he’s back on his feet.

51 min Podence is still being treated.

49 min Podence is down, with a bit of blood coming from his nose. He was accidentally cauight by Antony’s studs while making a challenge.

48 min Traore plays a one-two with Podence, runs at Malacia and curls an excellent cross that is headed away at the far post.

47 min Bueno’s corner is flicked across goal at the near post and headed clear by Malacia.

47 min “Quite the distinct fashion choices by the managers,” says Joe Pearson. “Didn’t I see Ten Hag in the full-on puffer coat, with Lopetegui opting for a simple turtleneck? Is it cold in Wolverhampton or not?”

I think Lopetegui keeps himself warm by losing his rag with the fourth official every few minutes.

46 min Wolves begin the second half. Both teams have made a change: Adama Traore for Diego Costa, which is a surprise as he played well, and Marcus Rashford for Alejandro Garnacho.

Update Antony was offside, the end.

Half-time reading

There is already a squad capable of staying in the Premier League at the City Ground and a couple of further additions should further boost Forest’s survival hopes. Upsetting Chelsea in front of a raucous home crowd would underscore their value to the club. The Chelsea result will not define Forest’s month but it could change the course of it, on and off the pitch.

45+1 min Sa makes an outstanding save from Antony’s close-range header, smuggling the ball onto the post, though it wouldn’t have counted as Antony was offside. However, moments earlier the onside Martial missed a stooping header from six yards after Garnacho’s cross deflected towards him.

At least I think that’s what happened; there has been no mention of offside on BT Sport but I’m sure that’s what the referee blew for, a split-second before blowing again for half-time.

45+1 min “In relation to Antony possibly bottling a 50/50,” says Sam Campbell, “I have a bit of sympathy for players pulling out of challenges like that as it’s so easy to get a red card if you go over the ball whether or not you mean to do so.”

Now that’s what I call empathy.

45 min One minute of added time. The half is petering out. Did it ever peter in?

43 min “Weird territory for me, liking a Utd manager,” says Ettiene Terblanche. “I’ve had antipathy towards United in every previous life, with the Ferguson years being the most bilious. Erik Ten Hag might be showing that one can be effective and tough, without being a bully (although only the most self-aware United fans will recognise this). Good luck to him.”

Wait till they start having success; you might perceive him differently then. I suspect there were, for example, a lot of United fans who liked Jurgen Klopp when he first came ot England.

42 min It’s been a good half for Wolves, who have pretty much been United’s equals. The only big chance came from a Wolves mistake, when Semedo’s lamentable backpass led to Garnacho being denied by Sa.

39 min Casemiro stops a counter-attack with a foul on Neves. The referee settles for a warning, and Julen Lopetegui waves his hands around in disgust. Casemiro, a bit like Costa earlier, made the foul look clumsy rather than cynical.

37 min: Chance for United! Antony sprays a long pass out to Garnacho on the left. He plays in the overlapping Malacia, whose chipped cross is headed straight at Sa by Antony, 10 yards out. That was a decent chance.

36 min Hwang’s deep cross is met sweetly on the volley by Podence. Varane makes another good block. Wolves have played some really good stuff on the counter-attack.

35 min “I find difficult to grasp Julen Lopetegui,” writes Kári Tulinius. “His well-organised Sevilla were really good, and with a bit of luck could’ve had a decent tilt at the Spanish title, playing with a calm certainty in their style. Yet he personally exudes nervousness, whether it was jeopardszing his tenure as Spain’s manager on the eve of the World Cup, or in his touchline demeanour, which resembles that of a shouting and moaning dad at a youth fixture. Happy new year!”

33 min On that tackle from Collins in the 30th minute, I think Martial may have fresh-aired his attempted shot a split-second before Collins challenged him. I’m not 100 per cent sure, though, and I probably never will be.

32 min “After that weak refusal to shoot or engage in what looked like a 60:40 challenge with Jose Sa, I think Antony might be looking at a dressing room internal disciplinary hearing,” says Gary Naylor. “Who could replace him for the second half I wonder?”

31 min Podence’s cutback from the left finds its way through to Neves, just inside the area beyond the far post. He cuts across a stinging shot that hits Shaw and goes behind for a corner.

30 min: Great tackle by Collins! United almost cut Wolves open with two lovely passes. Antony curved the ball down the right with the outside of his foot to Fernandes, who dragged a deliberate first-time cross towards Martial near the penalty spot. Collins came across to make a vital challenge.

28 min Costa leaves one on Luke Shaw, a foul made too look sufficiently clumsy that it doesn’t merit a yellow card. It’s a rare skill.

27 min Eriksen’s deep free-kick is headed dangerously across goal by Casemiro – he’s so good in the air at set-pieces – and cleared by a Wolves defender in the six-yard box.

26 min Semedo is booked for fouling Garnacho, a decision that infuriates the player, the home fans and especially Julen Lopetegui.

24 min Podence tricks his way into the area and hits an early shot that is well blocked by Varane. Moments later, Wan-Bissaka makes an even better block to deny Moutinho, who looked set to score from 12 yards after a good ball from Costa.

For a team who have barely scored all season. Wolves look dangerous going forward. Moments later, Costa cuts inside Varane on the left side of the area but shoots too close to de Gea.

24 min “Ferg was never drying his own hair...” says Jeremy Boyce.

He wasn’t even using a hairdryer.

23 min Antony’s shot from just inside the area takes two deflections, forcing Jose Sa to change direction and pounce on the ball. It was a comfortable save in the end.

22 min United have looked good in possession, albeit without much penetration. Even so, there are obvious signs of progress from the first couple of months under Erik ten Hag.

21 min “Yep, shades of milord Ferg already, this can only be good for the team/club/business,” says Jeremy Boyce of Erik ten Hag’s decision to leave out Marcus Rashford. “Only a dozen or so years wasted then... Is ten Hag a tea-drinker, anyone know?”

I do know he’s a fellow member of the bald community, so I’m not sure where the hairdryer fits in.

19 min I’d like to see a replay but my first impression was that Antony bottled that 50/50 with Jose Sa. It all happened very fast, though, so I might be wrong.

16 min: Fine save from Jose Sa! A dreadful backpass from Semedo puts Garnacho through on goal. He slides a low first-time shot that is superbly stopped to his left by the outrushing Sa, who then scampers to the edge of the area to beat Antony to the loose ball.

That was a seriously good save actually, full stretch to his left as he charged out towards Garnacho.

15 min “Antony is the 13th most expensive player in the history of football,” says Andrew Hurley. “And there’s no English premium either. It’s very hard to understand, he’s an averagely good player who will score a spectacular goal three times a season ... I can’t get my head around it.”

He’s been underwhelming and a bit one-dimensional so far, but I’d be inclined to trust, or at least respect, Ten Hag’s (and Tite’s) judgement. After the precedent of Robert Pires (first season: so-so, second season: player of the year) I’m loath to judge creative players until the end of the season season. Maybe he’s a Pires, maybe he’s a Pepe. My money’s probably on the latter at this stage but it’s early to be sure.

14 min Here’s more on Marcus Rashford’s omission today.

13 min The Wolves’ full-backs have been pretty lively going forward, more so than United’s so far.

11 min United break dangerously, with Casemiro and Martial combining to find Garnacho in space on the left. He surges into the area but is calmly tackled, I think by Semedo.

10 min Bueno wins Wolves’ first corner, which he’ll take himself. He curls it towards the penalty spot and Varane heads clear.

8 min United are starting to dominate possession, with Casemiro and Eriksen snapping the ball about with confidence. They are jolly good footballers.

7 min The resulting corner is headed away to the edge of the D, where Garnacho swishes a volley into orbit. He’s a confident boy.

6 min: Chance for United! Eriksen’s outswinging corner from the right is headed towards goal by Casemiro at the near post. The ball hits the unsighted Nunes and loops onto the roof of the net.

5 min Martial goes down in the area after a challenge from Neves. Nothing much in it.

4 min “Happy new year,” says Jeff Sachs, before getting straight down to business. “Nunez missed sooo many yesterday, incredible.”

Not now Jeff! (And happy new year to you all.)

3 min Semedo storms forward from right-back and is pulled back by Garnacho. Wolves try a training-ground free-kick and make a Horlicks of it.

2 min “Good morning Rob from rainy California, a phrase as rare as Everton victories these days,” says Mary Waltz. “Well, if any United player decides to ignore ten Hag’s instructions, shipping out CR7 and benching Rashford should inform them who the boss is.”

He’s very Pep in that regard.

1 min Peep peep! United kick off from left to right.

This still looks awesome 52 years later. Imagine how mind-blowing it must have been to see it in real time.

The players gather round the centre circle to pay tribute to Pele, football’s answer to the Beatles. Antony, one of a number of Brazilians in the United squad, pulls up his shirt to reveal a message underneath.

The players are out and Molineux is rocking. Of course it is.

“I was just thinking yesterday about the seeming media love-in with regard to Marcus Rashford,” says Carl Whinder. “While I admire his work off the pitch and wish him no ill will on it, as a fan of an opposing team I can’t really get all warm and fuzzy over his current decent form. I’m also not sure other non-Man Utd fans are that jazzed up about it either, although I may be wrong.”

It’s quite complicated I think, because unlike with most footballers it involves both on- and off-field matters. Anyway, each their own I guess. Plenty of United fans, never mind neutrals, still don’t really like him.

Half-term reports

Wolves started the year by hammering United 1-0 at Old Trafford. But that was one of only 11 league wins in 2022, including a run of just three in the last 24 games, and they have been slowly sinking down the table. They start this game in 18th place, but it still doesn’t quite compute that a team who were part of the mid-table furniture for four seasons might go down.

The signings of Julen Lopetegui and Matheus Cunha reinforce that feeling, and it’s so tight at the bottom that Wolves are only six points off 11th place. Even so, there is work to do.

United, in the parlance of our time, are in a pretty good place. Erik ten Hag has recovered from a diabolical start with quiet authority – he could barely have handled the Cristiano Ronaldo problem any better – and, even without Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Jadon Sancho, Edinson Cavani and Mason Greenwood, the team looks much more balanced than it did at the start of the year.

While less phonetically catchy than McFred, Caseriksen represents an almighty upgrade in midfield, and Marcus Rashford’s resurgence is one of the happier stories of the season. United are still a long way from challenging for the two big prizes*, but a win today would at least move them into the top four. They haven’t been at such altitude since March.

* And yet, a little paradoxically, had they won those first two games of the season against Brighton and Brentford, they would be right in the title race.