Manchester United's final match of 2025 ended in profound frustration as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Tuesday, December 30. The result, which handed Wolves only their third point of a dismal Premier League season, left United sixth in the standings with 30 points, damaging their ambitions of breaking into the top four.
Amorim's Controversial Call
The major talking point emerged from the touchline when United manager Ruben Amorim made a curious second-half substitution. With the score locked at 1-1 and his team desperately searching for a winning goal, Amorim decided to replace striker and goal-scorer Joshua Zirkzee with midfielder Jack Fletcher. The move left fans and pundits baffled, questioning the logic of removing an attacking threat when chasing a victory.
In his post-match comments to Sky Sports, Amorim defended his tactical choice. "We were struggling with their midfielders, and sometimes you can attack better with less strikers," the Portuguese manager explained. "We played with three strikers and sometimes that’s not the best thing to attack well. This game is over, you cannot change the result of this one, but you can move on and go to the next one."
How the Match Unfolded
The Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee, making a rare start, had given Manchester United the lead in the 27th minute. He created a yard of space on the edge of the box and saw his shot deflect off Wolves defender Ladislav Krejci to beat goalkeeper Jose Sa. United came close to doubling their advantage before halftime, but Benjamin Sesko's powerful header from a corner struck the post.
Wolves, who ended a run of 11 consecutive league defeats, showed remarkable resilience. They found an equaliser just before the interval, and ironically, Zirkzee was involved. The United striker's attempted defensive header from a cross looped across the box, where Ladislav Krejci was waiting to nod home at the far post in the 45th minute.
The second half was an end-to-end affair. Wolves' Sa had to scramble to prevent a Yerson Mosquera header from becoming an own goal, while United's keeper Senne Lammens produced a superb double save to deny Krejci and Mosquera. The drama peaked in the 90th minute when Patrick Dorgu thought he had snatched a winner for United, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside after a VAR review.
Looking Ahead After a Frustrating End
Amorim acknowledged his team's lack of fluidity in attack. "Looking at the 90 minutes, we had our chances but the fluidity offensively wasn’t there," he admitted. "There is a lack of connections at the moment. They tried, we didn’t play well. When you don’t play well with the ball, you struggle without it. We need to recover and go to the next one."
The draw leaves Wolves rooted to the bottom of the table with a mere three points from 19 games, facing near-certain relegation. For Manchester United, the result represents a significant missed opportunity to gain ground in the race for Champions League qualification, casting a shadow as they head into the new year of 2026.
